Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty, and I’m calling it like it is – the next two weeks at Indian River (Southside) are about as flat and blown out as it gets. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak surf with a lot of wind, so you’ll need to be patient.

The pattern is all tiny, mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore waves, with the energy barely getting into double digits. The combined swell energy is weak, hanging around 10 to 88 (weak) for most of the time. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, coming from the SSE or SE, with periods that are short, sometimes only 4 seconds, meaning weak, crumbly surf. The winds are often cross or cross-on, making it choppy and messy. There’s just no punch.

For the first week, from Saturday the 15th through to Friday the 21st of August, it’s all poor surf conditions. The best of a bad bunch might be Monday the 17th, with a clean look from a WNW cross-off breeze, but the swell is only 2ft to 3ft from the SSE, with a period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy is only 64 (weak). It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd gets a little bump, with the swell reaching 3ft to 4ft from the E on Saturday, but the wind is a cross-on NE breeze, so it’ll be choppy. The energy is still weak at 88 (weak). Sunday the 23rd has a little more size but it’s onshore. Not great.

There’s a gap of a few days with no real recommendations until we hit the second week. The end of the month, from Wednesday the 26th of August, things start to look a little more interesting, but it’s still very small. On Wednesday the 26th, the morning sees a 3ft swell from the S with a 6-second period, and a clean, cross-off NW wind. The combined energy is 82 (weak), but it’s clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon is a tease with a 1ft swell from the SE but a 12-second period. That long period is a sign of a groundswell, but with such a tiny height, it’s not going to do much at a beach/jetty break. The best of the whole run looks like Thursday the 27th of August. The morning has a clean, cross-off NW wind, and a 2ft SE swell with a 10-second period, giving a combined energy of 94 (weak). The afternoon is even cleaner with a light offshore WSW wind, and the same 2ft SE swell with a 10-second period, but the energy is only 55 (weak). It’s not big, but it’s clean and surfable. For a break that’s fairly consistent but often crowded, this might be a window where the crowds are a bit lighter because it’s so small. The swell direction (SE) is a little off the optimum (SSE), but it’s close enough to be rideable.

Honestly, nothing here is a true standout. If you’re desperate for a paddle, Thursday the 27th of August morning is your best bet for clean, little waves. But don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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