Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: this 16-day window for Indian River (Northside) is about as flat and frustrating as it gets. The good news? There’s no good news, really. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with hardly any energy to speak of. The first real chance to even think about a paddle doesn’t come until Tuesday the 15th, and even then, it’s barely a whisper.

We’ve got a solid run of nothing. From now until the 14th, it’s all poor surf conditions – tiny, weak waves with a combined energy that barely cracks 50 (12-54). The wind is all over the place, mostly cross or cross-onshore, which churns up what little ripple there is. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Tuesday the 8th with some clean cross-offshore wind, but the swell is only 0.3m (1ft) from the ENE with a period of 10 seconds – not enough to push a leaf.

The first real standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Tuesday the 15th. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, and we get a tiny 0.6m (2ft) swell from the ESE with a 7-second period. The combined energy is still weak at 41, but the glassy conditions will make it look clean. The water temperature is about average for this time of year. It’s a beginner-level wave, and the beach/jetty setup will be ridable, but you’ll be working hard for scraps. The break is consistent, so if you’re desperate, you might find a knee-high dribbler.

The second potential highlight pops up a few days later, on the morning of Thursday the 17th. The swell lifts a little to 0.7m (2ft) from the ESE with a 9-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 88 – still weak, but the best we’ll see. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the SSW, which will keep the surface tidy. The break is exposed to the swell, and the direction matches the optimum from the SSE, so it could offer a slightly better-shaped wave than the rest. Expect crowds here as it’s often busy, but for this quality, it might be a quiet session.

Honestly, if you’re looking for anything with a pulse, you’re out of luck. The swell never gets above 1.0m (3ft), and the periods are short, around 4-10 seconds, so it’s all weak, short-period windswell. The combined energy never reaches three digits – the highest is 102 on the afternoon of the 17th, which is the very bottom of the moderate range. This is a blank run, and for this area, it’s a bit more normal to have these long gaps. Don’t hold your breath. The forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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