Surf City Pier Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.43° N 77.54° W

Surf City Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 15 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Surf City Pier sea temperature is
27.7° C
0.3° 

Surf City Pier surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Surf City Pier surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 8s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, SE swell with 77 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 8s period with SE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Surf City Pier this week:

The surf forecast for Surf City Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Surf City Pier in the next 16 days are 0.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Mon 17th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 8s
Best Surf11PM (Mon 17th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 8s
Most Powerful 2PM (Tue 18th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Surf City Pier over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

First off, we’ve got a long stretch of flat, choppy, or just plain messy conditions ahead. The next week and a half is a write-off for any decent surf at Surf City Pier. We’re looking at a 10-day gap from the start of the period with basically nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is wrong, the swell is tiny, and the energy is weak. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so that’s not the issue.

The first real flicker of life shows up on Tuesday morning, August 18th. We’ve got a tiny 2ft southeast swell, but the magic word here is “glassy.” The wind is dead calm, so the surface will be like a mirror. The energy is still low at 97, and the period is a long 12 seconds, which means more of a groundswell feel – better for a point or reef, but at a sandbar it might roll through a bit straight. Still, you might snag a clean little waist-high wave if you’re patient. It’s not a standout, just the only real option in a bad run.

Things start to look a little more interesting as we push into the second week. Wednesday morning, August 26th, the swell period jumps to 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The swell height is only 1ft, but that combination of long-period SE swell and a light cross-offshore wind from the SW means it could be surprisingly clean and lined up for the more experienced crew. The energy reads 96, which is still on the lower side, but the quality of the wave shape might make up for it. Keep your expectations in check, but it’s the most promising looking morning in that whole stretch.

Then, heading into Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th, we finally see the swell bump up. Thursday morning has 3ft of SE swell at 12 seconds, with a light ENE breeze that’s just slightly cross-on. The energy hits 243, so there’s some solid push behind it. It’s still a bit onshore, but it’s workable. Friday morning, August 28th, is the real standout for the whole 16-day run. We get 4ft of easterly swell, period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s a windswell, but the wind is glassy – dead calm. That means clean, fun-size waves peeling down the beach. The energy is 170, so it’s a moderate, playful amount of juice. This is the morning to circle on the calendar. It’s not huge, so suitable for most, and with the glassy conditions, it’ll be a joy.

Saturday morning, August 29th, is also glassy with 4ft of easterly swell, but the energy drops to 112, so it’s not as punchy. Good for a session if you missed Friday, but Friday is the pick.

*Note: Surf City Pier is very consistent, so this quiet spell is a bit of a bummer, but by the end of the window we’re finally seeing some life. Keep an eye on the forecasts, it often doesn’t stay this flat for long.*

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 34°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.7
SSW
5
0.5
SE
12
0.6
SE
11
0.5
SE
10
0.5
SE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.6
S
5
0.7
S
5
0.8
S
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
10
11
24
20
20
21
23
68
75
48
42
54
26
17
17
19
15
20
29
Wind (km/h)
5
ENE
10
E
10
SSE
10
SSW
10
SW
20
SSW
5
NE
5
NE
15
SE
5
WSW
5
E
10
SSE
5
SW
0
S
15
S
5
WSW
10
SE
15
S
10
SW
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
glassy
on
cross-off
glassy
on
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
10:20PM1.51m
10:49AM1.50m
11:04PM1.37m
11:38AM1.47m
11:49PM1.23m
12:28PM1.42m
00:36AM1.11m
1:22PM1.38m
1:28AM1.01m
2:20PM1.35m
2:27AM0.95m
3:21PM1.34m
3:30AM0.93m
Low Tide
4:29AM-0.04m
4:57PM0.06m
5:10AM0.02m
5:49PM0.16m
5:52AM0.10m
6:46PM0.26m
6:36AM0.17m
7:47PM0.34m
7:25AM0.23m
8:53PM0.38m
8:20AM0.27m
9:58PM0.39m
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:31
6:31
6:31
6:33
6:33
6:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:58
7:57
7:54
7:53
7:52
7:52
7:51
 mm
5
2
1
2
22
1
4
7
Temp °C
29
29
28
28
32
34
30
31
33
29
29
30
29
31
32
30
29
30
29
Feels °C
32
32
31
32
35
36
31
37
37
34
32
32
34
36
34
34
32
33
32
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Surf City Pier:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Surf City Pier surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Surf City Pier Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Surf City Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Surf City Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Surf City Pier surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Surf City Pier) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Surf City Pier may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Surf City Pier is 37 km (23 miles) from the city of Wilmington. If you plan a vacation in North Carolina, look for hotels and other accommodation in Wilmington. Wilmington has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest