Indian River (Southside) Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.60° N 75.06° W

Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 20 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Indian River (Southside) sea temperature is
25.2° C
1.6° 

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


Indian River (Southside) 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 (Southside) this week:

The surf forecast for Indian River (Southside) 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 (Southside) 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 (Southside) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's cookin' down at Indian River (Southside). Lookin' at the full 16-day window, I gotta be straight with you—it's a tough stretch. We've got a long, quiet run ahead, and honestly, there's not a single day that screams "drop everything and go." The pattern is mostly small, weak, and wind-affected, with a few brief moments where it's just barely surfable.

The water's sitting at 77°F with a 3°F anomaly, so it's a touch warmer than normal for this time of year—nice for a long wait between sets.

We kick off Monday, July 20th, with tiny 1ft SE swell, but a cross-onshore wind has it all chopped up—poor surf conditions. Tuesday the 21st shows a slight bump to 4ft SSE swell in the morning, and with a cross-offshore wind, it cleans up nicely. The energy is weak at 67, period is a short 5 seconds, so it's weak and crumbly. The afternoon brings a risk of storms and bumpy 5ft southerly swell, but wind shifts and it gets messy.

Wednesday the 22nd is the closest we get to a highlight. We've got a 5ft S swell with an 8-second period, and cross-offshore wind keeping things clean. Wave energy is moderate at 277. Still, it's labelled as marginal due to questionable tide conditions. For an advanced spot like this, if you're keen, the morning window on Wednesday the 22nd is your best bet. But don't expect much.

After that, from Thursday the 23rd right through to early August, it's a grim run of tiny 1ft to 3ft swells with mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds. There's a brief moment on Tuesday, July 28th, with a 2ft SSE swell and light offshore wind from the W, conditions are clean but the energy is tiny at 55. Same again on Sunday, August 2nd, with a cleaner 4ft S swell in the morning, but it's weak.

Bottom line: there's no real standout session here. The best you'll get is a few average, knee-to-waist high waves on Wednesday the 22nd morning. For the rest, expect small, weak, wind-affected surf. It tends to turn around quickly around here, but this run is looking pretty barren.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 33mm), 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 NW by Wed night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu night, min 19°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Thu morning, light winds from the ESE by Fri night).

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
35
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
20
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
2:23PM0.83m
2:29AM0.75m
3:20PM0.84m
3:22AM0.69m
4:19PM0.85m
4:17AM0.66m
5:18PM0.87m
5:15AM0.66m
6:13PM0.90m
6:10AM0.66m
7:03PM0.93m
6:59AM0.69m
7:47PM0.96m
Low Tide
8:16PM0.15m
8:26AM0.09m
9:23PM0.20m
9:17AM0.14m
10:29PM0.23m
10:09AM0.17m
11:30PM0.24m
11:01AM0.19m
00:25AM0.24m
11:51AM0.19m
1:14AM0.23m
12:37PM0.18m
1:56AM0.22m
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
8
Temp °C
23
24
25
26
28
24
25
27
26
19
23
24
22
23
23
23
23
23
23
24
23
Feels °C
23
25
27
27
28
22
25
27
26
14
19
21
20
22
21
21
21
21
22
24
22
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Indian River (Southside) Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Indian River (Southside) 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 (Southside) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Indian River (Southside) 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 (Southside)) 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 (Southside) 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 (Southside) is 28 km (17 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.

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