Indian River (Southside) Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.60° N 75.06° W

Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 29 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Indian River (Southside) sea temperature is
24.5°C
1.4° 

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 29 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period, E swell with 158 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s. 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 0.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) 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 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Best Surf 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Most Powerful 8PM (Wed 2nd Sep)3ft (0.9m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let's get into it. Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – this next stretch for Indian River (Southside) is one of the quietest runs I've seen in a while. We're looking at a long, drawn-out lull that pretty much kills the first week and a half for any kind of decent paddle.

For the first nine days, from Saturday the 29th of August through to Tuesday the 8th of September, it's a flat spell. We're talking tiny dribbles of 1ft to 2ft coming from the SE and ENE, with periods mostly hanging around 7 to 8 seconds. That’s weak, close-range stuff with hardly any push. The combined swell energy barely cracks 100 for the whole stretch – mostly sitting in the teens, twenties, and thirties (weak energy). Winds are a mess too, with a lot of cross-on and onshore breezes making things choppy and messy. There is a tiny window on the morning of the 5th of September where it goes glassy, but with only 1ft of swell, there's just nothing to ride. It’s a tough go, and honestly, this kind of blank run is pretty normal for the area when the trade winds get unruly. For a beach/jetty setup like this, those conditions look way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Now, there's a flicker of life on Wednesday the 9th of September, but it's not the one to get excited about. The morning shows a bump to 3ft from the east with a 7-second period, and the wind goes cross-off from the SSW, leaving it clean. The energy climbs to 164 (moderate), but the wave quality comment says it best – "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". It's there, but it’s not pretty.

The real standout, the one bright spot in this whole outlook, rolls in on Saturday the 12th of September. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. We've got clean 4ft of swell from the ENE. The period is short at 5 seconds, which is a bit of a bummer – it's windswell, so expect fat, crumbly sections rather than a nice peak. But the wind is dead calm, glassy. That's the key here – glassy conditions at this break are rare and will make even small, weak swell rideable. The energy is still only 98 (weak), so don't expect any power, but for a longboard or a funboard with some friends on a Saturday morning, it will be the best thing we see. After that morning, the afternoon jumps up to 5ft, which starts pushing into intermediate territory, and the wind swings cross-shore, bringing the chop right back.

We get one last look on the 13th of September with clean conditions but only 2ft, and then it’s back to the flatness.

Final call: If you’re desperate for a surf, the glassy early morning of Saturday the 12th is your only real shout. Everything else is a washout. The water temp is sitting at 76°F, which is a touch warmer than typical for late August – not a game changer, but nice for a paddle on those 1ft days.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 21°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
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
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
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
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
7
0.4
SE
7
0.5
S
4
0.4
SE
12
0.6
ESE
11
0.5
SE
10
0.5
SE
9
0.6
ENE
7
0.6
E
7
0.5
E
8
0.6
ENE
7
0.4
ENE
7
0.3
E
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
16
16
17
18
14
13
16
15
13
12
9
37
78
49
43
41
40
29
37
17
9
Wind (km/h)
20
NE
10
E
15
SSE
15
S
25
S
20
SW
10
ENE
15
ENE
10
S
20
SSW
15
SSW
15
WSW
25
NE
30
ENE
10
SE
10
SE
20
SSE
15
W
20
N
20
ENE
5
SSE
Wind State
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
9:55AM0.90m
10:13PM0.96m
10:33AM0.94m
10:49PM0.93m
11:14AM0.96m
11:27PM0.89m
11:58AM0.98m
00:10AM0.84m
12:49PM0.99m
1:00AM0.80m
1:50PM0.98m
1:59AM0.75m
3:02PM0.98m
3:12AM0.73m
Low Tide
3:38PM0.07m
4:01AM0.07m
4:22PM0.08m
4:37AM0.06m
5:09PM0.11m
5:17AM0.06m
6:00PM0.15m
6:01AM0.08m
6:57PM0.20m
6:51AM0.10m
8:02PM0.24m
7:50AM0.13m
9:16PM0.26m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
rain showers
rain showers
thunderstorm
rain showers
thunderstorm
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:26
6:26
6:28
6:28
6:28
6:30
6:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:35
7:34
7:31
7:30
7:29
7:27
7:25
 mm
6
3
1
1
1
8
Temp °C
22
22
23
24
26
26
23
23
24
24
30
30
26
23
22
23
25
28
24
23
22
Feels °C
21
22
23
25
26
27
26
25
26
25
31
31
28
26
21
26
26
29
24
24
20
  • 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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