Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what we’ve got over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty flat run coming up for Indian River (Northside). This is a beach/jetty setup that’s exposed to the swell, but for the vast majority of the 16-day window, we’re looking at tiny, weak surf. The combined swell energy is very low, often in the teens and twenties, which means barely a ripple. There are no standout days for a surfer looking for a proper wave. The first real break where the score even registers a one doesn’t come until Saturday the 12th of September, and even then it’s just described as surfable but very ordinary. Before that, there are about eight days of nothing but poor conditions and flat spells.

Let’s break it down from the start. Friday the 4th through Thursday the 10th is consistently tiny. On Friday morning the 4th, we’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell from the SE with a short 8-second period, and the water is a very warm 77°, which is 5° above the norm – that’s notably warmer than usual for this time of year. But with 12 mph cross-offshore breeze from the NW, it’s clean but flat. The rest of the first week is similar: small, weak swells from the SSE and E, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, with wind speeds picking up to 15-19 mph at times. The swell heights barely touch 2 ft. Tuesday the 8th has a tiny clean moment with a 1 ft swell from ENE and almost no wind, but at that size, it’s not worth paddling out for.

Come Saturday the 12th of September, the best of the whole period arrives. On Saturday afternoon, we finally see an increase to 3 ft from the NE, with a combined energy of 45 – still moderate. It’s a short period at 5 seconds, so it’ll be a bit jumbled. But the wind goes light from the SW at 9 mph, making it cross-off and clean. It’s only rated as “surfable but very ordinary conditions,” so you’re not going to get anything epic, but for a beginner spot that’s consistent, it’s the only window that’s even worth a look. The crowds can be an issue here, so expect company.

After that, it drops right back off. Sunday the 13th looks rough with 22 mph onshore winds and t-storms possible, and the rest of the second week is plagued by similar tiny swells (0.7 ft to 2 ft) and moderate to fresh breezes, mostly cross or cross-off. The longest period we see is 12 seconds on Saturday the 19th, but that’s for a 0.7 ft ESE swell – a super long-period groundswell that just won’t have any push in the water. It’s going to break too straight for a beach/jetty anyway, so no go.

There’s a big gap of flat, poor surf from about the 4th right through to the 12th, and then nothing again after the 12th. It’s a classic blank run for this area; forecasts can change, but as it stands, save your energy. Conditions look more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddler on those windy days.

Stay patient.

Rusty

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