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.

Honestly, mate, I’m lookin’ at this forecast and it’s a bit of a bummer. The whole 16-day window is pretty flat and weak. We’re not talkin’ about a classic summer run here; it’s more like a long stretch of tiny, ordinary waves. The first real sniff of anything surfable comes on Friday morning, August 7th, but even then, it’s just a little 2ft S swell with a short, weak period of 5 seconds. The combined energy is a measly 52, so there’s not much push behind it. The wind is a cross-off from the SW at 9 mph, which keeps it clean, but the waves are just too small and weak to get excited about. Water temp is sittin’ at 76°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no complaints there.

The pattern doesn’t improve much through the weekend. Saturday morning, August 8th, we get a tiny bump from the SE at 2ft, with a period of 8 seconds, but the energy is still weak at 57. Sunday morning, August 9th, is probably the best of a bad bunch, with a 3ft S swell and the energy creepin’ up to 81, with a light SW breeze. It’s surfable, but it’s nothin’ special. After that, it just drops off into a long stretch of tiny, poor-quality waves. From Monday, August 10th, all the way through to Wednesday, August 19th, the swell hovers between 0.7ft and 2ft, with energy readings mostly stuck in the single digits or low 20s. The winds are a mixed bag, but even when it goes glassy on the 13th and 18th, the swell is just too small to bother with.

There is a little flicker of hope late in the window. On Thursday morning, August 20th, we see a 2ft SE swell with a period of 10 seconds, pushing the energy to 55. It’s clean with a light SW cross-off. That’s a better quality wave for the size, but it’s still tiny. Friday morning, August 21st, and Saturday morning, August 22nd, also have glassy conditions with a 1ft SE swell, but again, it’s barely a ripple.

If you are a beginner, the swell never gets above 3ft, so it’s safe, but it’s also not really worth paddling out for. The best call, if you’re desperate, is probably Sunday morning, August 9th, with that 3ft S swell and light wind. It’s the only session that even remotely qualifies as a standout, and even then, it’s pretty ordinary. The rest of the time, it’s a long, flat gap. The setup here is a beach/jetty, and with the onshore winds we get on some afternoons, it might be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, but not really for us.

Rusty.

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