SOUTHCOAST FINANCIAL CORPORATION

                                                                    Exhibit 31.1
                                 CERTIFICATIONS

I, L. Wayne Pearson certify that:

1.   I have  reviewed  this  quarterly  report  on  Form  10-QSB  of  Southcoast
     Financial Corporation:

2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of
     a material  fact or omit to state a  material  fact  necessary  to make the
     statements made, in light of the circumstances  under which such statements
     were made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to the  period  covered by this
     report;

3.   Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
     information  included  in  this  report,  fairly  present  in all  material
     respects the financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of
     the small  business  issuer as of, and for,  the periods  presented in this
     report;

4.   The small business issuer's other certifying officers and I are responsible
     for  establishing  and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as
     defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  for the small
     business issuer and have:

     a)  designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused  such
     disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
     ensure that material  information  relating to the small  business  issuer,
     including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made  known to us by others
     within those entities,  particularly during the period in which this report
     is being prepared;

     c) evaluated the  effectiveness of the small business  issuer's  disclosure
     controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions  about
     the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures,  as of the end
     of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

     d)  disclosed  in this  report  any change in the small  business  issuer's
     internal  control over financial  reporting that occurred  during the small
     business  issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small business  issuer's
     fourth fiscal  quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially
     affected,  or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small business
     issuer's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.   The small business issuer's other certifying officers and I have disclosed,
     based on our most recent  evaluation  of internal  control  over  financial
     reporting,  to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit committee
     of the small business  issuer's  board of directors (or persons  performing
     the equivalent functions):

     a) all significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in the design or
     operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably
     likely to adversely  affect the small business  issuer's ability to record,
     process, summarize and report financial information; and

     b) any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves  management or other
     employees  who  have a  significant  role in the  small  business  issuer's
     internal control over financial reporting.




Date:    May 12 , 2004                       /s/ L. Wayne Pearson
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                                             L. Wayne Pearson
                                             Chief Executive Officer