Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let me be straight with you – this is a tough stretch for Indian River (Southside). We're looking at a solid 16-day window, but honestly, there's nothing on the table that's going to get the stoke levels up. The first real chance for a surfable wave doesn't show up until Saturday morning, August 8th, and even then, it's pretty ordinary.

For the first week, it's a flat spell with a lot of poor surf conditions. The energy is weak, with combined swell energy values barely getting out of the two-digit range – mostly bouncing between 21 and 39 in the first few days, which is next to nothing. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1 ft to 3 ft, coming out of the SSE or S, and the periods are short, 4 to 6 seconds. That's not real swell; it's wind slop. The water temperature is 75°F with a 0.4°F anomaly, so pretty much average for this time of year.

The highlight, and I use that term loosely, is Saturday morning, August 8th. You've got a 2 ft swell from the S at 6 seconds, and a light offshore wind from the WSW. The combined energy bumps up to a still-modest 67, but it's enough to call it "surfable waves." For a beach/jetty setup like this, that offshore wind will be a big help to clean things up. But at this size, and given the break is "fairly consistent" for an advanced spot, the crowd might be out if people are as desperate as I think they are.

Sunday morning, August 9th, sees a similar story: a 2 ft S swell with a light offshore wind from the WNW. Combined energy is only 34, so it's on the weaker side. Thursday morning, August 13th, is worth a mention because it goes completely glassy – zero wind – but all you get is a pathetic 1 ft SSE swell with a 5-second period and a combined energy of 10. It's not even worth paddling out for.

Looking into the second week, things don't improve. The swell starts to pick up a little bit of period – we see some 9-second intervals from the SE around August 17th and 18th – which suggests better shaped waves, but the height is still stuck around 1 ft to 2 ft. The combined energy stays in the weak range, topping out at 75 on Wednesday afternoon, August 19th, which is still not enough to get excited about. The winds are generally offshore or cross-off, which would be good if there was any real swell to work with.

The bottom line is this: there are no genuine standouts in this entire forecast. The surf is poor, the energy is weak, and the swell is too small for any of the breaks to really shine. It's one of those times where the area just goes quiet. Forecasts can change, but for now, you're better off waiting for the next system. This ain't the time.

- Rusty

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