Indian River (Northside) Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.62° N 75.06° W

Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 20 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Indian River (Northside) sea temperature is
25.3° C
1.7° 

Indian River (Northside) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Indian River (Northside) surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, S swell with 491 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Indian River (Northside) this week:

The surf forecast for Indian River (Northside) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Indian River (Northside) in the next 16 days are 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Wed 22nd Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 8s
Best Surf11PM (Wed 22nd Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 8s
Most Powerful11PM (Wed 22nd Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indian River (Northside) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a 16-day outlook for Indian River (Northside), and I’ll be honest with you – it’s a pretty quiet stretch. The forecast is showing a real lack of any decent swell, and the wind doesn’t do us many favours either. There’s a long gap of days with nothing worth paddling out for, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

The water temperature is sitting at a warm 78°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – not a bad thing if you’re just floating around, but it’s not making the waves any better.

The first real chance to even think about a surf comes on Tuesday, July 21st. The morning shows a weak 4 ft swell from the SSE with a short, windswell period of 5 seconds. The combined energy is a low 67, so it’s weak. The wind is a cross-offshore from the SSW, which will clean it up a bit, but frankly, the wave quality is poor. It’s the best of a bad bunch so far, but that’s not saying much. The afternoon gets a bit more size with a 5 ft S swell (period 6s, energy 136), but the wind swings to a lumpy cross-shore with a risk of t-storms. Not a session to write home about.

Wednesday, July 22nd, is the only time in the first week that might get a mention. The morning offers a 5 ft S swell with a period of 8 seconds – still short period, but the energy climbs to 277 (moderate). The cross-offshore SW wind keeps it clean. The afternoon holds similar energy at 270. It’s still rated as poor to marginal, but if you’re desperate, this is the closest you’ll get to a surfable wave all week. The break is a beach/jetty setup, so it’s exposed, but it’s also a beginner-friendly spot. For the more experienced crowd, this small, short-period stuff won’t cut it.

After that, it’s another long stretch of nothing. From July 23rd right through to August 1st, the swell stays tiny – mostly under 3 ft – with onshore or cross-shore winds and combined energy readings that are almost all in the double digits. The wind is often a problem, either cross-on or making it choppy. There’s a morning on July 28th with a 2 ft swell and a light offshore wind from the W, but the energy is only 55 and the waves are described as surfable but very ordinary. Not worth getting excited about.

The next slight blip comes on August 2nd, a Sunday, with a morning showing a 4 ft S swell (period 6s, energy 83) and a clean, light offshore wind from the W. Again, it’s only rated as “surfable but very ordinary.” The afternoon picks up to 5 ft from the S with 134 energy, but the wind goes light and variable, and the risk of storms returns. The pattern is clear: weak, short-period windswell and messy conditions.

The only other half-decent window is on August 4th, a Tuesday morning, with a clean 2 ft SSE swell and a light offshore WNW wind. Energy is a low 42. It’s surfable, but it’s not a standout.

So, what’s the best on offer? Honestly, if you had to pick one session, it would be the morning of Wednesday, July 22nd. The 5 ft swell from the S, with moderate energy (277) and clean cross-offshore wind, is the most size you’ll see, and the clean conditions make it the most likely to produce a few rideable waves. But even then, it’s only for beginners or those just wanting to get wet. The short period (8s) means the waves will be a bit soft and crumbly.

For the rest of the period, the swell is just too small, the period too short, and the wind too often onshore or cross-shore. It’s a flat spell, folks. When the surf is this poor and the wind is strong, Indian River (Northside) looks more like a spot for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

That’s the long and short of it. I’ll be keeping an eye on it, but for now, don’t rush to get your wetsuit on.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Wed morning. Warm (max 28°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, light winds from the NNW by Wed night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu night, min 19°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
SE
7
0.3
SSE
6
0.9
SE
4
1.1
SSE
5
1.4
S
6
1.6
S
6
1.5
S
8
1.4
SSE
8
1.1
SSE
8
0.8
SSE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.6
SE
7
0.6
SE
6
0.6
SE
8
0.7
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.8
ESE
7
0.7
ESE
7
0.8
E
8
0.8
E
8
0.4
ESE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
11
8
34
59
130
194
277
270
165
86
50
30
26
51
60
22
71
55
74
76
22
Wind (km/h)
15
NE
20
ESE
25
SE
25
SSW
30
SSE
30
SW
25
SW
25
SW
35
NNW
25
N
20
NNW
10
N
15
NE
10
ESE
5
ESE
20
ENE
20
ENE
10
NE
15
NE
10
ESE
20
SW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
2:13PM0.89m
2:22AM0.77m
3:01PM0.87m
3:12AM0.72m
3:50PM0.85m
4:05AM0.68m
4:41PM0.84m
5:02AM0.66m
5:35PM0.85m
6:01AM0.66m
6:28PM0.87m
6:56AM0.68m
7:16PM0.89m
Low Tide
7:33PM0.15m
7:49AM0.09m
8:36PM0.18m
8:42AM0.14m
9:37PM0.19m
9:37AM0.16m
10:33PM0.17m
10:28AM0.17m
11:23PM0.15m
11:17AM0.16m
00:11AM0.12m
12:05PM0.14m
00:56AM0.09m
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
thunderstorm
mod rain
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:50
5:52
5:52
5:52
5:54
5:54
5:56
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:21
8:20
8:19
8:19
8:17
8:16
8:15
 mm
1
8
10
6
9
Temp °C
23
24
25
26
28
24
25
27
26
20
23
24
22
23
23
23
23
23
23
24
23
Feels °C
23
25
27
27
28
22
25
27
26
16
19
21
20
22
21
21
21
21
22
24
22
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Indian River (Northside):

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Indian River (Northside) surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Indian River (Northside) Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Indian River (Northside) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Indian River (Northside) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Indian River (Northside) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Indian River (Northside)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Indian River (Northside) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Indian River (Northside) is 30 km (19 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in Delaware, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ocean City. Ocean City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest