Carolina Beach · New Hanover County · North Carolina
Pelican Watch Surf Report & Forecast, Carolina Beach, NC
Pelican Watch, Carolina Beach, North Carolina: 2 ft, knee high, at 10 pm EST on Monday, Nov 9, rated Fair. The main swell is 1.6 ft at 11 seconds from the east-southeast, with a 6 mph offshore wind from the west. Water is about 69°F, so a 2mm springsuit is the suggestion; the next low tide is 0.4 ft at 1:10 am.
2 ft
knee high
- Swell
- 1.6 ft · 11 s · ESEplus 0.1 ft · 3 s · WSW
- Wind
- 6 mph (W)offshore
- Tide
- 2.2 ft fallinglow 0.4 ft at 1:10 am
- Water
- 69°F2mm springsuit
- Air
- 64°Ffeels like 61°F
- Sun
- rise 6:38 amset 5:12 pm
Pelican Watch surf today and tomorrow
Best-rated hour today at Pelican Watch: 9 am, Good, on a falling high tide.
Blue band: surf face height from the low end to set waves; dotted: occasional larger sets. Grey line: tide, in feet on the right scale. Colour strip: the hourly rating. Arrows: wind direction and strength, teal when offshore, orange when onshore.
Best-rated hour tomorrow at Pelican Watch: 9 am, Fair, on a falling high tide.
Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 2–3 ft | Good | 11 mph offshore (W), gusts 16 | 4.8 ft |
| 7 am | 2–3 ft | Good | 9 mph offshore (W), gusts 15 | 5.0 ft |
| 8 am | 2–3 ft | Good | 9 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 15 | 4.7 ft |
| 9 am | 2–3 ft | Good | 9 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 16 | 3.9 ft |
| 10 am | 2–3 ft | Good | 9 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 15 | 2.8 ft |
| 11 am | 2–3 ft | Fair | 8 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 14 | 1.8 ft |
| 12 pm | 2–3 ft | Fair | 7 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 12 | 1.0 ft |
| 1 pm | 2–3 ft | Fair | 6 mph offshore (W), gusts 11 | 0.5 ft |
| 2 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 6 mph offshore (W) | 0.6 ft |
| 3 pm | 2–3 ft | Fair | 6 mph offshore (W) | 1.2 ft |
| 4 pm | 2–3 ft | Good | 5 mph offshore (W) | 2.0 ft |
| 5 pm | 2 ft | Good | 4 mph offshore (W) | 2.9 ft |
| 6 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 6 mph offshore (W) | 3.6 ft |
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 2 ft | Fair | 5 mph cross-shore (N) | 4.2 ft |
| 7 am | 2 ft | Fair | 4 mph cross-shore (NNW) | 4.6 ft |
| 8 am | 2 ft | Fair | calm | 4.7 ft |
| 9 am | 2 ft | Fair | calm | 4.2 ft |
| 10 am | 2 ft | Fair | calm | 3.4 ft |
| 11 am | 2 ft | Fair | calm | 2.4 ft |
| 12 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 4 mph cross-shore (S) | 1.5 ft |
| 1 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 6 mph cross-shore (S) | 0.8 ft |
| 2 pm | 2 ft | Poor to Fair | 8 mph cross-shore (SSW) | 0.5 ft |
| 3 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 8 mph cross-shore (SSW), gusts 14 | 0.8 ft |
| 4 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 9 mph cross-shore (SSW), gusts 14 | 1.4 ft |
| 5 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 8 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 13 | 2.2 ft |
| 6 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 8 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 13 | 3.0 ft |
Pelican Watch waves today: sets, lulls and how they break
At 10 pm, sets at Pelican Watch arrive about every 3 minutes with about 4 waves each, and the waves are mostly barreling and hollow.
- Set waves
- about 1.9 ft faces
- Waves per set
- about 4
- Sets
- every 3 minutes or so, each lasting about 24 s
- Lulls
- about 170 s between breaking waves
- How they break
- Barrelingwhich means the lip pitches out and can throw a barrel
- Shape
- Hollowwhich means throwing, barreling waves
- Breaking
- 10% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
- Along-shore current
- moderate, about 0.9 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.
Pelican Watch surf this weekend and the next 10 days
Next 10 days at Pelican Watch: the biggest day is Monday, Nov 9 at 2–3 ft, and the best-rated day is Monday, Nov 9 (Good). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, flat (under 1 ft) and Poor; Sunday, Nov 15, flat (under 1 ft) and Poor.
Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24
Days 11–16 for Pelican Watch are in the Current app with a Premium subscription.
Bars: surf face height from the low end to set waves, by day. Colour strip: the day's best rating. Arrows: main swell direction. Shaded: this weekend.
The 10-day forecast as a table, with swell and wind
| Day | Surf | Rating | Main swell | Wind am | Wind pm | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | 2–3 ft | Good | 2.1 ft · 11 s · ESE | 9 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 15 | 6 mph offshore (W) | 9 am |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 2 ft | Fair | 1.5 ft · 11 s · ESE | calm | 8 mph cross-shore (SSW) | 9 am |
| Wed, Nov 11 | 1–2 ft | Poor to Fair | 1.4 ft · 10 s · ESE | calm | 10 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 18 | 6 am |
| Thu, Nov 12 | 0–1 ft | Poor | 1.1 ft · 5 s · SW | 13 mph offshore (WSW), gusts 21 | 20 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 33 | 5 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | flat (under 1 ft) | Poor | 0.5 ft · 8 s · SSE | 12 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 17 | 13 mph offshore (W), gusts 19 | 9 am |
| Sat, Nov 14 | flat (under 1 ft) | Poor | 0.2 ft · 12 s · ESE | 15 mph offshore (NW), gusts 21 | 17 mph offshore (NW), gusts 26 | 7 am |
| Sun, Nov 15 | flat (under 1 ft) | Poor | 0.9 ft · 3 s · NNE | 10 mph cross-shore (NNW), gusts 15 | 5 mph offshore (NW) | 4 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 0–1 ft | Poor | 1.0 ft · 3 s · NNE | 10 mph cross-shore (N), gusts 15 | 8 mph cross-shore (NNE), gusts 13 | 4 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 1 ft | Poor | — | 10 mph cross-shore (NNE) | 11 mph cross-shore (NNE) | 10 am |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 1–2 ft | Poor | — | 14 mph cross-shore (NNE), gusts 24 | 11 mph cross-shore (NE) | 7 am |
| Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24 | Days 11–16 for Pelican Watch are in the Current app with a Premium subscription. Get the app | |||||
Pelican Watch tide chart and tide times
Tides at Pelican Watch today, Monday, Nov 9: high 5.0 ft at 6:53 am, low 0.5 ft at 1:21 pm and high 3.8 ft at 7:07 pm. At 10 pm the tide is 2.2 ft and falling.
Pelican Watch tide chart, November 2026
| Day | Tides |
|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | High 5.0 ft at 6:53 amLow 0.5 ft at 1:21 pmHigh 3.8 ft at 7:07 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Low 0.4 ft at 1:10 amHigh 4.7 ft at 7:35 amLow 0.5 ft at 2:02 pmHigh 3.7 ft at 7:47 pm |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Low 0.5 ft at 1:47 amHigh 4.8 ft at 8:15 amLow 0.9 ft at 2:41 pmHigh 3.9 ft at 8:23 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Low 0.8 ft at 2:29 amHigh 4.7 ft at 8:50 amLow 0.7 ft at 3:31 pmHigh 3.3 ft at 9:10 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Low 0.7 ft at 3:04 amHigh 4.6 ft at 9:40 amLow 1.3 ft at 4:08 pmHigh 3.6 ft at 9:47 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Low 1.0 ft at 3:58 amHigh 4.2 ft at 10:19 amLow 1.0 ft at 5:01 pmHigh 3.2 ft at 10:42 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | Low 1.0 ft at 4:42 amHigh 4.0 ft at 11:09 amLow 1.1 ft at 5:47 pmHigh 3.2 ft at 11:35 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Low 1.1 ft at 5:39 amHigh 4.0 ft at 12:01 pmLow 1.3 ft at 6:35 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | High 3.5 ft at 12:33 amLow 1.4 ft at 6:37 amHigh 4.1 ft at 12:49 pm |
Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.
Pelican Watch water temperature
The water temperature at Pelican Watch is about 69°F on Monday, Nov 9. With the air feeling like 61°F and a 6 mph wind, a 2mm springsuit is the suggestion. Over the next week the water stays between 66 and 69°F.
Water temperature is a forecast for the water at this spot, not a buoy reading. The wetsuit suggestion uses Billabong's wetsuit temperature scale, adjusted for air temperature and wind.
Surf spots near Pelican Watch
- Kure Beach Pier1.7 mi SSW · 2 ft · Fair
- Carolina Beach Pier2.6 mi NNE · 2–3 ft · Fair
- Carolina Beach North End3.3 mi NNE · 2 ft · Fair
- Fort Fisher3.8 mi SSW · 1–2 ft · Poor
- Masonboro Island11 mi NNE · 1–2 ft · Poor
- South End, Wrightsville Beach13 mi NNE · 2 ft · Poor
Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →
About Pelican Watch
Pelican Watch is a beach break in Carolina Beach, New Hanover County, North Carolina, facing east-southeast. Also called Wilmington Beach and Pleasure Island.
Follow Pelican Watch in the Current app
The first 10 days are free, and Premium adds days 11–16.
Forecasts are estimates. Never rely on them for safety. For rip current risk and beach hazards, check the National Weather Service. Forecasts from Current's novel physics simulation. No AI. No black boxes. Ocean and weather data: NOAA (U.S. government data). NOAA does not endorse this site.