Indian River (Southside) Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.60° N 75.06° W

Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 13 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Indian River (Southside) sea temperature is
24.5°C
2.6° 

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 13 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, E swell with 56 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with SE 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Indian River (Southside) in the next 16 days are 0.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sun 13th Sep)1.5ft (0.5m) 9s
Best Surf11PM (Sun 13th Sep)1.5ft (0.5m) 9s
Most Powerful 8PM (Tue 15th Sep)2.5ft (0.8m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Right now, it’s pretty gutless out there. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing doing, not a single wave worth paddling for until maybe the 23rd. That’s a solid week-plus of flatness and closeouts, so if you’re itching, don’t hold your breath.

Indian River (Southside) is looking at a whole lot of nothing from the 13th through the 22nd. Swell heights stay under 3 feet, periods are mostly short and weak, and the winds are all over the place—onshore, cross, or just messy. Combined energy stays in the weak zone, mostly between 26 and 60. It’s completely flat, not even a ripple worth sliding on.

Then on the 23rd, things finally start to wake up. Wednesday morning brings a bump to about 4 feet from the east, with a period around 7 seconds. It’s clean, offshore breeze from the southwest, and combined energy jumps to 240 – that’s moderate, and it’s actually surfable. The score is still low, but it’s the first real sign of life. That morning is your best early window. The afternoon gets a bit blown out with a fresh west wind at 30 km/h, but the morning should have some push.

Thursday the 24th is the standout. Morning sees around 5 feet from the east-northeast, period 8 seconds, with a gentle offshore west-northwest wind. Combined energy hits 248 – that’s the biggest and cleanest of the whole run. It’s still a beach/jetty setup, so with that shortish period it might be a bit crumbly, but for this stretch, that’s about as good as it gets. It’s not huge—fine for most surfers, maybe a little much for total beginners but not out of hand. By afternoon it drops to about 4 feet and the wind picks up a bit, but still offshore and clean.

After that, it fades. Friday the 25th has around 3 feet with a period of 9-10 seconds, clean cross-off northwesterlies, but energy drops to 178–191. It’s surfable but nothing to get fired up about. Saturday the 26th is similar, around 3 feet, still clean morning, energy down around 112. Sunday the 27th is weak again, around 2 feet, light winds, not much left.

One thing to note: the water’s running much warmer than usual for this time of year—about 5°F above average. That’s noticeable, and it might make the flat spells feel even more frustrating. But when the swell finally hits on the 24th, it’ll be warm and clean, just not for long.

So bottom line: don’t waste your time this week. Mark Wednesday the 23rd as a maybe, Thursday the 24th as your one real shot. After that, it’s back to the waiting game.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 20°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Mon morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light.

Sun
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
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
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
10
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.8
NE
4
0.8
ENE
6
0.6
ENE
6
0.7
E
6
0.6
E
8
0.5
E
6
0.5
E
6
0.5
E
8
0.5
E
8
0.4
ENE
8
0.4
SE
6
0.2
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
23
22
28
22
24
40
24
33
44
16
17
28
28
19
15
14
27
27
26
24
Wind (km/h)
5
NE
10
WNW
35
NNW
30
NNW
25
NE
20
ENE
15
E
10
SE
10
ESE
15
SE
15
S
10
S
25
SSE
10
SW
10
NE
10
E
10
SE
10
SSE
20
S
35
SSW
Wind State
glassy
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
11:01PM0.89m
11:29AM0.98m
11:40PM0.84m
12:11PM0.96m
00:19AM0.79m
12:56PM0.94m
1:04AM0.75m
1:48PM0.92m
1:54AM0.72m
2:48PM0.90m
2:52AM0.70m
3:52PM0.89m
3:56AM0.70m
Low Tide
4:40PM0.06m
4:46AM0.07m
5:28PM0.12m
5:24AM0.12m
6:18PM0.20m
6:03AM0.18m
7:12PM0.26m
6:46AM0.24m
8:12PM0.32m
7:36AM0.28m
9:19PM0.35m
8:34AM0.31m
10:23PM0.36m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:39
6:41
6:41
6:43
6:43
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:12
7:09
7:08
7:07
7:05
7:04
7:01
 mm
4
2
Temp °C
27
26
22
23
23
21
21
20
20
20
21
22
23
22
22
22
22
22
23
24
Feels °C
31
30
18
17
18
19
19
19
21
20
20
22
21
20
23
23
23
23
22
22
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  • 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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