Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the Indian River (Southside) over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this is a tough stretch. The entire 16-day forecast is basically a flat spell with very little to get excited about. There’s a big gap of days with no real surf to speak of. We’re looking at a run of tiny, weak waves and poor conditions that just doesn’t let up. The first real recommendation doesn’t come until the very end, and even that’s a long shot.

The only day that even pokes its head up is Thursday, September 3rd, in the morning. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the SE, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined swell energy is weak at 50. The wind is a cross-offshore from the SW at 9 mph, which keeps the surface clean. The water is a warm 77°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 4° above average. Honestly, it’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. You’d be on a longboard, just trimming, not really doing much. The afternoon goes glassy, but the swell drops to 1 ft, so it’s flat and clean, but not worth paddling out for.

After that, the whole forecast is just poor. From Friday the 4th all the way through until Thursday the 17th of September, we’re stuck with tiny waves – 0.7 ft to 3 ft – and messy winds. The energy readings are all in the double digits, well below 100, which tells you the ocean is flat. There’s a brief moment on Monday the 7th where the swell energy hits 109 from the east with a 10-second period, but the swell height is only 2 ft and the wind is cross-shore or cross-on, so it’s not clean. It’s still a no-go.

The last glimmer is on Thursday, September 17th, and Friday, September 18th. On the 17th, we get a 0.7 ft swell from the ESE with a very long period of 13 seconds. That’s a groundswell, but it’s too small to do anything with. The energy is only 37. On the 18th, it bumps up to 2 ft from the east with a 7-second period, and the energy is 63. The wind is clean and cross-off, but it’s still just a knee-high dribble. For a beach/jetty setup like this, a long period swell on such a tiny wave just won’t wrap in or stand up.

The only standout, if you can even call it that, is the morning of Thursday, September 3rd. It’s the only time the score is above zero. The swell is small, the wind is okay, and the water is warm. That’s your best bet, and it’s not saying much. For the rest of the run, you’re better off finding something else to do.

Rusty.

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