Surf Forecasts:
Indian River (Southside) surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period, S swell with 200 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Indian River (Southside) this week:
The surf forecast for Indian River (Southside) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indian River (Southside) in the next 16 days are 1.6m 6s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indian River (Southside) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m talking straight to you from the beach.
First off, I gotta be honest with you – the next two weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a long, dry spell ahead. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 25th of August, and even then, it’s barely a pulse. From now until the 25th, it’s pretty much flat, with tiny dribbles and choppy, onshore junk. The local break is Indian River (Southside), and this setup is a beach/jetty combo. For the first week and a half, the combined energy is weak, often in the single digits or low tens (7 to 70), meaning the ocean is basically asleep.
The water temperature is sitting at 78°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so the bath is nice, even if the waves aren’t.
The only day that even gets a mention is Tuesday the 25th. The morning shows a little bump to 4 ft from the east, with a short period of 5 seconds. The wind is light and cross-off from the southwest, which keeps it clean. The energy kicks up a bit to 65, but it’s still a weak, short-period windswell. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. After that, surfable but not a standout.
Then, hold onto your hats, because Wednesday the 26th of August is the one true standout in this whole 16-day window. The morning brings a solid 6 ft swell from the east-northeast, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 302, which is moderate energy. The wind is offshore from the west at 9 mph, making for clean, lined-up waves. This is the best we’ll see, but it’s still a little on the short-period side, so it won’t have that deep, groundswell grunt. It’s a good session for intermediate to advanced surfers, but the 6 ft might be a bit much for beginners. The wind stays clean, so it’s your best bet. The afternoon drops off a bit to 5 ft, still clean but with a cross-off wind.
After that, Thursday the 27th sees a drop in size and a return to onshore winds, so the window closes fast.
So, to sum it up: you’ve got a long, flat run until the 25th, then a very ordinary Tuesday, followed by a decent Wednesday morning that’s your best shot. If you’re a beginner, maybe skip the 26th. If you’re experienced, mark that morning.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 22°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Sat morning, strong winds from the S by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 3 | S 4 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 39 | 200 | 36 | 27 | 12 | 30 | 31 | 73 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:49AM0.84m | 9:25PM1.09m | 9:40AM0.87m | 10:10PM1.05m | 10:29AM0.89m | 10:53PM1.00m | 11:16AM0.91m | 11:35PM0.93m | 12:03PM0.91m | 00:16AM0.87m | 12:50PM0.90m | 00:59AM0.80m | 1:40PM0.89m | 1:44AM0.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:23PM-0.06m | 3:18AM-0.00m | 3:17PM-0.06m | 4:02AM-0.02m | 4:08PM-0.04m | 4:44AM-0.02m | 4:59PM0.00m | 5:26AM0.01m | 5:51PM0.07m | 6:07AM0.06m | 6:46PM0.14m | 6:50AM0.12m | 7:44PM0.21m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 25 |
Feels °C | 26 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 23 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 8 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 9 | SSE 6 | S 5 | SSE 6 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | SE 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 98 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 30 | 31 | 73 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 11 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | SSE 5 | ESE 3 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | ENE 5 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 8 | 19 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | — | E 8 | — | E 8 | — | SE 7 | E 13 | ESE 9 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 9 | — | E 5 | — | — | SE 9 | — | — | S 6 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 3 | WNW 2 | NNW 2 | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | NE 5 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | S 4 | S 6 | — | — | N 3 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 200 | — | — | 6 | 13 | 17 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2160 | 1473 | 1047 | 315 | 2139 | 2132 | 335 | 3107 | 380 | 458 | 1175 | 1092 | 1140 | 1352 | 8 | 41 | 141 | 270 | 41 | 691 | 102 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Delaware | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Indian River (Southside) surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Indian River (Southside) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Indian River (Southside) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Indian River (Southside) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Indian River (Southside) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Indian River (Southside)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Indian River (Southside) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Indian River (Southside) is 28 km (17 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in Delaware, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ocean City. Ocean City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest