Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Indian River (Southside) over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – this stretch is not showing much love at all. The 16-day window is almost completely empty of decent surf. We’ve got a long, quiet, flat spell ahead, with only a tiny flicker of hope right at the very end.

The water temp is sitting around 77° and running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so the ocean feels nice but there’s just no push to go with it.

Right from the start, Wednesday the 19th through to the end of August, it’s a whole lot of nothing. Small, weak, often messy conditions. Swell heights hang between 0.7 ft and 4 ft, but the periods are mostly short – under 8 seconds – and the wind is all over the place: onshore, cross-onshore, sometimes cross-off but with moderate to fresh breezes that chop things up. The wave energy is weak, barely cracking 100 most days, and the guidance rates it all as poor surf. Honestly, there’s about a 10-day stretch here where you’d be better off doing something else.

Then, finally, on the morning of Wednesday the 3rd of September, there’s a tiny glimmer. The wind goes glassy – calm, dead flat – and the swell bumps up a touch with a period of 8 seconds from the east. The combined energy is still only moderate at 84, but for the first time the guidance says "surfable waves" – just barely. It’s small, around 2 ft from the east, but it’s clean. That’s basically the only window in the whole forecast where you could get wet and catch a couple of knee-high sliders. Don’t expect much, but if you’re desperate, that’s your moment.

Aside from that, it’s a long blank run. Few spots are consistent here at the best of times, so this dry spell is not unusual for the area. Forecasts can and do change, so keep an eye out, but for now, I’d leave the board in the car.

- Rusty

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