Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Well, let's be straight with you—this outlook for Indian River (Northside) is a tough one to write. I've looked at the whole 16-day window and to be honest, it's mostly flat and grim. There's a long stretch where you’ll be better off doing just about anything else. But, I'll tell you what's what.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 76°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Comfortable, but you won't really need more than a spring suit.

The first session that even sniffs at being rideable is Friday morning, August 28th. We're looking at a tiny 0.4 feet of swell from the ESE with a short 8-second period. The combined energy is a weak 43. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so it'll be clean, but honestly, it’s so small it's barely a ripple. Don't get your hopes up.

From there, it's a wasteland. Saturday the 29th through to the end of the month is a write-off with tiny, choppy slop and poor conditions. Monday the 31st has a moment of clean offshore wind, but again, the swell is practically non-existent at 0.4 feet and weak energy of 19. This pattern of "clean but flat" pretty much sums up the first week.

There is a small blip on Wednesday morning, September 2nd. The swell bumps to 0.5 feet from the SE with a period of 11 seconds. Combined energy hits 62, which is still weak but the best we see for a while. The wind is cross-shore though, creating a bit of chop. Still, it’s the least poor option in that stretch.

Then we hit the real interesting part, way out at the end. Come Sunday morning, September 6th, we get a pulse of energy. The swell jumps to 1 feet from the NE, with a period of 6 seconds. The combined energy finally gets into "moderate" territory at 119. The problem? The wind is howling onshore from the E at 19 mph, making for poor, chunky conditions. It’s not good for a paddle surf, but with that onshore wind and the beach/jetty setup, a kite boarder might actually have a bit of fun. Later that day the energy climbs even higher to 143, but the onshore wind is still 16 mph, so it'll be lumpy and messy.

After that burst, by Monday the 7th, it drops straight back down to weak, onshore slop for the rest of the outlook. There's nothing else to get excited about.

So it's a desperate outlook. The only real shot at some moderate energy is Sunday, September 6th, and even then it'll be blown out. The rest of the time, you're looking at knee-high dribble if anything at all. For this area, a blank run like this isn't abnormal, but it still stings.

Keep the board in the car just in case a forecast changes, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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