Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's take a gander at what's on the menu for Indian River (Southside) over the next two weeks. Gotta be honest with ya, it's a tough stretch. This is a beach/jetty setup, so we're totally open to the wind and swell, and for most of this run, the cards are stacked against us.

We're looking at a long, dry spell. From Saturday the 11th right through to the morning of Monday the 24th, it's pretty much a dead loss. That's nearly two weeks of tiny, weak, or just plain messy surf. The swell energy is weak (values mostly in the teens to 70s), and when the size does come up a little, the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, chopping everything to bits. For the advanced crew that needs a decent wall, there's nothing doing.

Now, let's talk about the one little glimmer – and I mean a little one – that shows up on Thursday, July 24th. The afternoon has a bit of a pulse from the south at 5ft, with a 7-second period, pushing the combined energy up to 204 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-onshore from the southeast at just 3 mph, so it's only causing small ripples. It's barely surfable, but it's the best we've seen. That south swell direction isn't hitting the optimum SSE direction for this break, so it won't be nearly as good as it could be. Still, it's the only window where the forecast is even described as "marginal" instead of "poor."

After that, we get a little bump in size Saturday the 25th, up to 5ft with that same sloppy southerly swell, but the cross-onshore wind picks up to 16 mph and it's just choppy chaos. Not one for the log or the fish, that's for sure.

Then, finally, on Sunday morning, July 26th, we get a little reprieve. The wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the SSW at 6 mph, cleaning things right up. It's only 3ft from the SSE with moderate energy (100), but the conditions are "clean." That's the real standout in the whole outlook. It won't be huge, but with clean conditions on a better direction, that's your best chance to actually enjoy a paddle. For all the other days, the combined swell energy is low to moderate, but the conditions are just too ordinary to get excited about.

Because of the persistent onshore flow, this beach/jetty setup is going to look a lot more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers for most of the run. The water temp is about average for the time of year, no major anomalies to report.

So, to wrap it up: don't hold your breath for the next two weeks. The standout is Saturday morning, July 26th with clean, cross-offshore wind on a 3ft SSE swell. That's your window. For the rest, maybe take up fishing.

Rusty.

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