Indian Wells Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a long, hard look at what Indian Wells has got cookin' over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough stretch.

Right off the bat, we're looking at a bit of a slow start. The first few days are a write-off with weak, short-period windswell and messy, cross-onshore winds. There's nothing to get excited about.

Things try to pick up a little on Monday the 3rd of August. We get a pulse of 8ft swell from the S, but it comes with a fresh cross-shore breeze and lumpy conditions. The energy is moderate (663), but the quality is poor. It might be too much for beginners at that size, but it's not clean enough for the rest of us. Monday afternoon cleans up slightly with a gentle breeze, but the surf is still pretty average.

Tuesday the 4th sees the swell drop back to a modest 5ft, but it's still a bit messy. The rest of the first week is a frustrating mix of small, weak swell and onshore or cross-shore winds. There are a few brief windows of clean conditions, like Wednesday the 5th morning and Friday the 7th morning, but the swell is tiny and weak – only around 3ft to 4ft. The energy is barely there (93 and 161). You could get a knee-high wave on a longboard, but it's not really worth the drive.

The second week is more of the same, I'm afraid. There's a real dry spell from the 12th through the 15th, with almost no energy and tiny waves. We're looking at swell heights of 1.0ft to 3ft and energy readings barely cracking 50. A couple of mornings look glassy or clean, but there's nothing to surf.

The one and only highlight in this whole 16-day outlook is the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August. The wind swings offshore from the NNW with a light breeze, and the swell direction is from the SSW at 4ft. The period is short at 6 seconds, so it's not a groundswell, but the energy is moderate (103). It's the cleanest, most surfable window in the entire forecast, and while the waves won't be big, they'll be the best we've got. It's the standout simply because everything else is so poor.

Other than that, this is a grim run for Indian Wells. A lot of days with onshore slop and no real swell to speak of. I'd keep an eye on the forecasts for that Tuesday morning, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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