Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta level with you – the outlook for Indian River (Northside) is about as flat as a pancake. We’ve got a long stretch of very quiet, small surf ahead. The combined energy of the swells is a measly (40) to start, barely ticking over. The water temp is sitting at 76°, which is just about bang on average for this time of year, so at least a dip won’t be a shock to the system.

The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th offer tiny, weak swells from the S and SE, but the wind is mostly a cross-off or cross. The heights are only 1 ft to 3 ft, and the period is a pathetic 4-8 seconds. It’s just not worth paddling out for. Sunday the 9th through to the 13th is a dead zone. The swell is virtually non-existent, with heights barely reaching 2 ft and very low wave energy. The only silver lining is a few glassy mornings, like on the 9th and 13th, but you’d be surfing a ripple.

We scrape through the middle of the week. Friday the 14th afternoon brings a slight bump up to 3 ft from the S, but it’s a cross-on wind and the energy is still only (96). It’s messy. The 17th of August actually shows a bit of a different story – the period jumps to 13 seconds, suggesting some longer-period energy from the SE. The wave heights are still tiny at 1 ft, but the energy is (65) to (85). This is a long period groundswell, but for a beach/jetty setup like this, it might break a bit too straight. Still, it’s more interesting than what we’ve seen.

The only real half-decent window looks like the 20th of August. The morning shows a 2 ft swell from the SE with a gentle offshore wind from the W – that’s clean. The energy is (88), which is the highest we see. The afternoon is similar, with a clean cross-off breeze. The waves are still small, but it’s the most surfable the whole forecast period gets.

There is a serious gap of no surfable conditions from now until the 20th. The 20th is the best on offer, but even then, it’s a small, clean option for the longboard or a fun log. For the rest of it, the beach looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the tiny swell and persistent wind.

Keep an eye on the forecast, but don’t hold your breath. The consistency is low, and it’s a blank run for the area.

Rusty.

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