Indian River (Southside) Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.60° N 75.06° W

Indian River (Southside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 13 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Indian River (Southside) sea temperature is
24.5°C
2.6° 

Indian River (Southside) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Indian River (Southside) surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, E swell with 56 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with SE 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Indian River (Southside) in the next 16 days are 0.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sun 13th Sep)1.5ft (0.5m) 9s
Best Surf11PM (Sun 13th Sep)1.5ft (0.5m) 9s
Most Powerful 8PM (Tue 15th Sep)2.5ft (0.8m) 7s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indian River (Southside) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – the next sixteen days are gonna test your patience. There’s not one truly good session in the whole run. Right from the start, it’s a struggle. The first few days are flat-out poor. Sunday morning, September 13th, we’ve got tiny 0.4ft swell from the SE with a bit of west wind trying to clean it up, but the energy’s barely there (47), and it’s so weak it’s not worth paddling for. That afternoon goes glassy but still lifeless. Monday and Tuesday stay tiny and mostly messy with onshore or cross-onshore breezes. By Wednesday morning, the swell edges up to 0.7ft, but it’s a short-period E swell, cross-onshore, and just not doing anything for Indian River (Southside).

The first glimmer – and I use that word loosely – comes Thursday morning, September 17th. Light SSW wind gives us a clean-looking 0.6ft E swell, and the energy is at 64. It’s surfable, but only just. By afternoon, the wind picks up and churns it out. Friday sees the swell shrink again under a stiff NE wind. Not your day.

We hit a real dead zone over the weekend of September 19-20. Swell drops to 0.3ft Saturday morning, then just 0.5ft Sunday morning with a clean cross-off breeze. Still, it’s so small you’d be making the most of nothing. The following Monday, September 21st, the afternoon brings a jump to 2ft from the ENE, but it’s howling NE at 22 mph, cross-onshore, and lumpy. The energy reads 294 – moderate – but the wind just ruins it.

Now, late in the run, things get a little bigger but not better. From Wednesday, September 24th, we see solid swell building: Thursday afternoon hits 1ft from the E with energy at 255, but a fresh N cross-wind makes it lumpy. Friday, September 25th brings 2ft E swell with energy jumping to 670 (moderate-strong), but it’s cross-on from the NE at 22 mph and lumpy. By Saturday, September 26th, we’re looking at 2ft E swell, energy at 838 (strong), but again cross-on at 25 mph – messy, strong, and not for paddling. That trend continues into Sunday, September 27th with 2ft E swell, energy hitting 1720 (very strong), but it’s still cross-on and messy as hell. That setup, at a beach/jetty like Indian River, looks far more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

Monday, September 28th finally sees the wind ease a little, with a moderate cross-shore and 1ft E swell, but by then we’ve been through two weeks of ordinary.

Honestly, mate, there’s no standout here. The water’s sitting at a very warm 76°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – nearly three degrees above average – so at least you’ll be comfortable while you’re staring at flat water.

Keep an eye on the long-range, but this one’s a washout for now.

- Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 20°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Mon morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light.

Sun
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
SE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.8
NE
4
0.8
ENE
6
0.6
ENE
6
0.7
E
6
0.6
E
8
0.5
E
6
0.5
E
6
0.5
E
8
0.5
E
8
0.4
ENE
8
0.4
SE
6
0.2
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
12
0.3
ESE
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
23
22
28
22
24
40
24
33
44
16
17
28
28
19
15
14
27
27
26
24
Wind (km/h)
5
NE
10
WNW
35
NNW
30
NNW
25
NE
20
ENE
15
E
10
SE
10
ESE
15
SE
15
S
10
S
25
SSE
10
SW
10
NE
10
E
10
SE
10
SSE
20
S
35
SSW
Wind State
glassy
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
11:01PM0.89m
11:29AM0.98m
11:40PM0.84m
12:11PM0.96m
00:19AM0.79m
12:56PM0.94m
1:04AM0.75m
1:48PM0.92m
1:54AM0.72m
2:48PM0.90m
2:52AM0.70m
3:52PM0.89m
3:56AM0.70m
Low Tide
4:40PM0.06m
4:46AM0.07m
5:28PM0.12m
5:24AM0.12m
6:18PM0.20m
6:03AM0.18m
7:12PM0.26m
6:46AM0.24m
8:12PM0.32m
7:36AM0.28m
9:19PM0.35m
8:34AM0.31m
10:23PM0.36m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:39
6:41
6:41
6:43
6:43
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:12
7:09
7:08
7:07
7:05
7:04
7:01
 mm
4
2
Temp °C
27
26
22
23
23
21
21
20
20
20
21
22
23
22
22
22
22
22
23
24
Feels °C
31
30
18
17
18
19
19
19
21
20
20
22
21
20
23
23
23
23
22
22
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Indian River (Southside):

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest