Indian River (Northside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell ya how it is. Honestly, looking at the next 16 days, it’s a bit of a tough stretch for Indian River (Northside). We’ve got a long dry spell with hardly any surf worth paddling out for.

Right now, we start with tiny, weak conditions on Monday morning. Swell’s only 0.7 ft from the ESE with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is just 21 – barely a ripple. Water temp is sitting at 77°, and that’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s about the only nice thing going for it. The wind is light offshore in the morning, which keeps things clean, but there’s just no power.

Tuesday through Thursday stay tiny, with heights hovering around 1 ft to 2 ft and energy readings stuck in the low double digits. Winds bounce around a bit – we get a glassy spell Tuesday afternoon with the wind swinging east at 3 mph, but the swell is still too weak to do anything with. Thursday morning sees a bump up to 3 ft from the SE, and energy jumps to 119, but it’s a short-period 8-second swell and the wind is a messy cross-shore at 12 mph with risk of thunderstorms. Not great.

Friday the 28th offers the only real glimmer in the first week. Swell drops back to 3 ft from the SSE, period a short 6 seconds, but the wind goes glassy in the afternoon from the SW at 3 mph. Combined energy is 66. It’s surfable, but “very ordinary” is the word. Still, glassy conditions at a beach/jetty setup with that little bit of energy might give you a few fun little ones if you’re desperate.

After that, we hit a real dead zone. From Saturday the 29th all the way through to Monday the 8th of September, it’s just poor conditions. Most days show cross-onshore or strong onshore winds, with gusts building from 25 mph up to 34 mph by early September. Swell stays small or mixed up, and energy readings climb into the 200s and 300s (strong energy), but it’s all blown out, lumpy, and messy. That kind of power with those winds makes it look way better for kite surfing than paddle surfing around here.

Finally, on Tuesday the 8th of September, we get a slight reprieve. Morning shows 2 ft from the east, 9-second period, with a light cross-offshore wind from the SSW at 6 mph. Energy is 110 – moderate. Afternoon winds pick up a bit, but it’s still cross-off. The surf is surfable again, but it’s ordinary. Not a standout, just a tiny window of clean-ish conditions after over a week of garbage.

So the best on offer? Honestly, it’s Friday the 28th of August for that glassy afternoon session. It’s not big, it’s not powerful, but clean 2 ft waves with no wind are about as good as it gets in this run. The second best is that Tuesday the 8th of September morning, if you’re willing to wait that long. Everything else? Save your energy or check the kites.

Rusty.

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