
Surf Forecasts:
Surf City Pier surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 13 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, SSW swell with 317 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s 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 (Jul 13) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. 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 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Surf City Pier over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long look at what Surf City Pier has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a bit of a slow grind to start, but there’s a glimmer of something better way down the line.
Right off the bat, Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are pretty flat and uninspiring. We’re looking at tiny 1ft to 2ft swell coming out of the SE and E with a short, weak period of 6 to 9 seconds. The energy is barely registering (40 to 71). Monday has a light cross-off breeze, keeping it clean, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. Tuesday gets messy with a cross-onshore wind and even a risk of thunderstorms, so don’t bother. The water temp is about average for this time of year.
Wednesday the 15th through Friday the 17th stay poor. Swell drops even smaller, down to 1.0ft to 2ft, with weak energy readings dipping as low as 19. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making for choppy, blown-out conditions. It’s a real struggle for any kind of rideable wave.
We get a slight bump around the weekend. Sunday the 19th sees the swell push up to 4ft to 5ft from the S, with period still short at 6 seconds. The energy jumps to a moderate 171 by the afternoon, but the wind is a moderate cross-breeze, creating a cross-chop. Still labelled as poor conditions. It’s getting bigger, but it’s not getting good.
Now, here’s the one that catches my eye. Monday the 20th of July morning. That’s the standout. We’ve got a 5ft SSW swell, period stretching to 7 seconds, and the combined energy hits a solid 339 (moderate). The wind is light and cross from the SW, keeping it clean with small crossing wind ripples. The only downside is it’s called “marginal” due to tide, but this is the best-looking window of the whole outlook. It’s not a monster, but for Surf City Pier, this is the moment to be in the water. After that, the afternoon gets blown out again with a strong 16 mph SSW wind.
The second week fades back into mediocrity. Tuesday the 21st has a clean morning with 3ft S swell, but it’s weak. Wednesday and Thursday offer some clean mornings with NW cross-off winds, with swell building back to 4ft on Thursday the 23rd (energy at 225), but it’s still just “surfable” at best.
The very tail end offers a final, quiet note. On Monday the 27th of July morning, the wind goes glassy. Absolutely dead calm. The swell is only 3ft from the S with a short period, so it’s tiny, but if you want a longboard and no wind, that’s your session. The afternoon turns choppy again.
If you’re a beginner, the swell stays under 5ft for most of the run, so you’re fine from a size perspective, but the quality is mostly poor. For the experts, there’s nothing over 8ft to get your heart racing.
So, to sum it up: there’s a lot of flat, weak, and windy days here. Surf City Pier is a very consistent break, so this kind of doldrum run is unusual, it tends not to stay poor for long. Keep an eye on Monday the 20th for that window of cleaner 5ft surf, and maybe the glassy Monday the 27th if you just need to get wet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Fri afternoon, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sun 19 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 5 | S 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
32 | 29 | 28 | 35 | 43 | 41 | 27 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 20 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 58 | 85 | 171 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:44AM1.15m | 7:25PM1.85m | 7:42AM1.22m | 8:18PM1.85m | 8:37AM1.28m | 9:10PM1.80m | 9:32AM1.33m | 10:00PM1.71m | 10:26AM1.36m | 10:49PM1.59m | 11:21AM1.37m | 11:37PM1.44m | 12:16PM1.36m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:00AM-0.04m | 12:36PM-0.23m | 1:54AM-0.09m | 1:35PM-0.25m | 2:45AM-0.13m | 2:32PM-0.24m | 3:34AM-0.15m | 3:28PM-0.19m | 4:21AM-0.14m | 4:24PM-0.10m | 5:08AM-0.11m | 5:20PM-0.00m | 5:54AM-0.06m | 6:19PM0.10m | |||||||
— | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | |
8:23 | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | |
mm | 16 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 33 |
Feels °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 27 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 34 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 9 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 9 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 5 | ESE 8 | SSW 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | — | — |
32 | 29 | 24 | 35 | 43 | 28 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | — | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 5 | ENE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | E 6 | SSW 5 | E 6 | — | ESE 8 | — | ESE 8 | E 13 | E 13 | — | — | — |
5 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 28 | — | 27 | 19 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 3 | — | 12 | — | 6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | — | SSW 4 | — | — | — | — | SSW 5 | — | E 15 | — | — | E 6 | SE 13 | — | E 13 | — | — |
— | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 4 | — | — | 1 | 7 | — | 3 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 3 | — | — | — | — | E 6 | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | S 3 | SSW 4 | — | S 5 | — | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 |
3 | — | — | — | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 15 | — | 20 | — | 14 | 19 | 58 | 85 | 171 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 194 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 718 | 0 | 205 | 779 | 578 | 1530 | 1063 | 775 | 878 | 878 | 878 | 1527 | 1979 | 714 | 508 | 299 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











