Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at the stretch ahead for Indian River (Northside). It’s a beach and jetty setup, beginner-friendly, and consistent. But I’ll be straight with you—this outlook is a tough one. The first week and a half is mostly flat or junky, with only a couple of brief windows where you might get a soggy ride. The best of the best is thin on the ground, but there is a small standout later on.

Right now, we’re staring down a long gap. For the first ten days, the scores are mostly zero, and the surf is poor. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild. The first real pulse of energy comes on Monday, August 3rd. The morning sees a 4 ft swell from the SSE, swinging in at 8 seconds, with moderate wave energy (183). The wind is cross-offshore from the SW, so it’ll be clean. But the rating is still low—it’s surfable, but very ordinary. That afternoon, the swell drops a touch to 4 ft, but the wind shifts to a light NNW cross-off, still clean. The wave energy drops to 138. It’s a “meh” session, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far.

Then we hit another dry spell. Thursday, August 6th, morning session: 4 ft from the S, 6-second period, wave energy 156. Clean with a SSW cross-off wind. Still, the score is a zero. It’s just not coming together.

The next real chance to get wet comes on Tuesday, August 11th. The morning starts off with a clean offshore WNW breeze, light, and 3 ft of SSE swell at 7 seconds, wave energy 62. It’s surfable, but ordinary. The standout of the whole outlook, however, is the afternoon of that same day. Tuesday, August 11th, afternoon: the swell builds to 4 ft from the S, 7-second period, and the wave energy jumps to 196. The wind is a gentle NNW cross-off, leaving it clean. No crowds reported, so it could be a quiet little session. For a spot that’s been mostly flat, this is the one to pencil in. The swell direction is close to the optimum SSE, so it’s working well for the break.

After that, it’s back to dust. From Wednesday, August 12th, right through to the end of the 16 days, the swell is tiny or non-existent, winds are messy, and the scores are all zeros. The last shot is Sunday, August 16th morning, with a 4 ft ENE swell, 10-second period, and 263 wave energy, but the wind is a messy cross-shore from the S, and it’s rated poor. Not worth the paddle.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. The only real standout is the afternoon of Tuesday, August 11th, with clean 4 ft S swell and a gentle offshore wind. It’s nothing epic, but it’s the only wave in town worth chasing. For beginners, the 4 ft is fine, but it’s not a big day. The 7-second period means it’s a bit weak, but it’s clean. The rest of the forecast is a quiet, flat spell, which is normal for this area when the swell windows don’t line up. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but right now, I’d be marking that Tuesday afternoon.

Rusty.

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