Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for this stretch. To put it bluntly, it’s a quiet run. If you’ve been waiting for some juice, you’ll be waiting a good while yet. The next 16 days are mostly a flat spell with only a couple of moments that might get you on the water, but don’t expect much push.

Overall picture: We’re looking at a long, long gap with no real surf. The first worthwhile bump doesn’t show until Monday the 3rd of August, and even then it’s only a marginal call. After that, it fades again into tiny, weak slop for days on end. You’ll be chasing scraps.

Monday the 3rd – Tuesday the 4th of August: Monday morning brings a slight lift, swell running around 4 ft out of the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is cross-offshore from the SW at 12 mph, cleaning it up nicely, and the combined swell energy hits 224 – that’s moderate. This is the best on offer across the whole outlook. Monday afternoon holds similar size (5 ft) with still clean conditions. Indian River (Southside) sits exposed to the SSE, and while the swell direction leans into the optimum, the size is small and the period is short. It’s a beach/jetty setup, and with the clean wind, it’s ridable for advanced surfers, but beginners should sit it out. Crowds are often here, and when it’s this marginal, the crew who do go out will likely have it mostly to themselves.

Tuesday morning drops off hard, with onshore wind and only 2 ft – don’t bother.

Wednesday the 5th onwards: From Wednesday through the rest of the 16 days, we’ve got a huge stretch of tiny surf. Heights sit between 1 ft and 3 ft, short periods (4 to 7 seconds), and weak combined swell energy (mostly under 100). Winds are mostly cross-off or cross, but the swell just isn’t there. A few days have clean conditions (like Thursday the 6th morning, Friday the 7th morning) but the waves are ankle-biters.

Even the glassy morning on Monday the 10th of August, with no wind at all, only gives 3 ft from the south – pretty but flat.

Wednesday the 12th of August has offshore wind from the west at 6 mph and clean conditions, but the swell is only 2 ft. Not worth paddling out for.

Bottom line: The standout is Monday the 3rd of August, morning and afternoon. It’s not firing, but it’s the only window with clean cross-off wind and enough wave to get a couple of rides at Indian River (Southside). The rest is a drought. If you’re a kiter, those onshore days with bigger wind (like Tuesday afternoon the 4th with 15 mph onshore) might look more interesting than paddle surfing. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game – it tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change.

Stay patient. Rusty.

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