Surf Forecasts:
Indian River (Southside) surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 16s period, SE swell with 65 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with ESE 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 Friday (Aug 28) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. 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 0.4m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indian River (Southside) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get straight into it. The stretch ahead is a tough one for surfers. We’re looking at a solid run of days with little to no rideable waves, and I’ll be honest with you, it’s pretty grim. There are a few windows where it cleans up, but the size just isn’t there to make it worth paddling out for most of us.
The pattern starts with a long flat spell. From Tuesday the 25th through to Sunday the 30th, we’ve got barely a ripple. Wave heights are hovering around 1ft to 2ft, with short-period wind swell. The energy is weak, reading between 20 and 63 on the combined scale. There are moments on Friday afternoon where the wind turns offshore from the west (19 mph) and the water looks clean, but it’s still only 1ft. That’s not surf, that’s a lake. This stretch is a washout.
The first real chance of anything comes Monday the 31st. Still small, but the wind goes cross-offshore from the south, and it’s clean. Size is only 1ft though, with a short 7-second period. It’s a skimboard day at best. Then we hit another flat spell for the first few days of September. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd see a bump in period to 12-15 seconds, which tells you there’s some groundswell trying to push through, but the heights are stuck at 1ft-1ft and the wind is onshore from the northeast. The energy on Tuesday afternoon does hit 101, but it’s all wind chop with no power. Not worth a look.
The first proper, half-decent window shows up on Saturday the 5th of September. We finally get some size, with the morning seeing 3ft from the ESE at 12 mph cross-offshore wind. The period jumps to 11 seconds, and the energy kicks up to 153. The conditions will be clean with that northwest cross-off. That’s the standout morning of the whole outlook. It’s not epic, but it’s the only time the stars align for a paddle. That afternoon drops to 2ft with lighter wind, still clean-ish, but the energy backs off.
After that, it gets messy. Sunday the 6th of September sees the swell build to 3ft-4ft from the south, but the period is a woeful 6 seconds. That’s pure wind chop. The morning has light offshore wind and looks clean, but the lack of period means the waves will be soft and crumbly. The energy is moderate at 103-134, but quality is terrible. From Monday the 7th onwards, it’s a race to the bottom. Sizes drop back below 3ft, the wind swings onshore and cross-shore, and by Wednesday the 9th, we’ve got a 28 mph cross-shore wind with 1ft slop. That’s full on kite-surfing conditions, not surfing.
So, bottom line: the entire 16-day window is a write-off for real surf. The only day with any sort of redeeming feature is Saturday the 5th of September. Indian River (Southside) will have a little 3ft groundswell and clean conditions, but it’s not the kind of swell that will have you calling in sick. For beginners, it’s small enough to be safe, but it's still messy. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, at 77°F, but that won’t help the waves. That’s the long and short of it. It’s one of those stretches where the forecast can change, but right now, I’m not getting my hopes up.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 21°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 27°C on Fri afternoon, min 19°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | 22 | 11 | 17 | 25 | 26 | 36 | 46 | 44 | 28 | 26 | 37 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 27 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:55PM0.98m | 7:58AM0.79m | 8:31PM0.99m | 8:38AM0.83m | 9:06PM0.99m | 9:17AM0.87m | 9:39PM0.98m | 9:55AM0.90m | 10:13PM0.96m | 10:33AM0.94m | 10:49PM0.93m | 11:14AM0.96m | 11:27PM0.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:54PM0.18m | 1:58AM0.22m | 1:36PM0.13m | 2:29AM0.18m | 2:16PM0.10m | 2:58AM0.13m | 2:57PM0.08m | 3:29AM0.10m | 3:38PM0.07m | 4:01AM0.07m | 4:22PM0.08m | 4:37AM0.06m | 5:09PM0.11m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
— | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 28 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 21 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 30 | 32 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | SE 7 | SE 6 |
22 | 22 | 11 | 17 | 25 | 26 | 36 | 46 | 44 | 18 | 26 | 37 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 11 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 12 | E 11 | ESE 8 | E 11 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | S 5 | SE 5 | — | — | SE 7 | E 16 | ESE 17 |
2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 4 | — | — | 12 | 5 | 27 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | — | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | — | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 5 | S 5 | E 9 | E 9 | — | E 19 | E 8 |
1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 3 | — | — | — | SSE 5 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | — | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 |
1 | — | — | — | 6 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 31 | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 22 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 459 | 591 | 364 | 330 | 1493 | 539 | 204 | 570 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 249 | 273 | 202 | 330 | 1493 | 1197 | 335 | 202 | 134 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Delaware | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











