Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks. Bottom line: it’s flat. Proper flat. We’re looking at a 16-day stretch where the surf just isn’t showing up. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, the waves are tiny, the energy is weak, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything worth paddling out for.

The water temp is sitting at 76°, which is a touch warmer than the usual for this time of year, so at least it’ll be a nice swim.

We start off with a bit of a tease on Friday the 28th with a knee-high 0.5ft wave from the ESE, but it’s got a short 8-second period and the wind is all over the shop – morning cross, but the afternoon goes glassy. It’s clean, but there’s just not enough push. The energy reading is a weak 54, so you’re just bobbing around.

The weekend doesn’t offer any hope. Saturday the 29th sees the swell bump to 3ft, but it’s a short, crumbly 5-second ENE windswell. With a 12 mph NE cross-onshore in the morning, it’s just choppy and messy. Sunday the 30th is smaller again and the wind picks up, making it a total write-off.

The whole first week is honestly a battle with pretty poor conditions. We see the swell dip down to 1ft, and the period stays short. There’s a glimmer on Thursday the 3rd of September when we get a gentle offshore from the WSW and the surf is clean, but it’s still only 1ft. It would be glassy, but there’s nothing to ride. All the energy levels are in the low double digits or barely cracking 50. We’re talking weak energy, 17 or 23 or 39, it’s all the same – nothing.

The second week is more of the same. A little bump on Sunday the 6th with 2ft from the E, but it’s cross-onshore. Then Monday the 7th, the swell is similar, and the period stretches out to 11 seconds which is a bit more groundswell, but the energy is still weak at 85. It’s a bit of a letdown. There’s a moment on Wednesday the 9th where the wind goes glassy in the afternoon and the period is 10 seconds, but again, it’s just 1ft. It’s a lake.

The last few days don’t get any better. We get a stronger wind on the 11th, but it’s onshore and fresh, and the swell is still tiny. It’s all just another flat spell. The energy levels stay in the weak zone – 35, 33, 52, 53. There’s no punch.

The standout in all of this? Honestly, there isn’t one. If you’re desperate, the cleanest conditions will be on the afternoon of Thursday the 3rd, or that glassy afternoon on the 9th, but you’ll be surfing ankle-biters on a longboard. For anyone else, leave the board in the car. The setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle, given the lack of swell and the onshore breezes later in the run. It’s a long stretch of nothing, which is just how it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d find another hobby for a couple of weeks.

Rusty

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