Indian Wells Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a yarn about what’s coming up at Indian Wells over the next couple of weeks.

First up, don’t get your hopes up too high for the next few days. It is looking pretty average. We’ve got some waist-to-chest high swell, around 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind is a mess – cross, cross-off, and a bit onshore – so the surface is choppy and lumpy. Thursday (10th September) is a write-off really, just poor conditions all round. The water temp is sitting at 71° which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the water is nice.

Friday morning (11th) is the first little window we get. The swell has dropped right down to 3 ft from the SSW, but the wind swings to a clean offshore from the NNW. That’s going to leave the surface glassy and the waves will be rideable, just small and very ordinary. The combined energy is weak at 56 (low), so it’s a knee-to-waist high sort of deal. It’s surfable, but not worth getting too excited about.

Sunday afternoon (13th) is another fleeting moment. The swell is only 3 ft from the SSE, but we get glassy conditions again, with near zero wind from the WNW. The wave energy is still moderate at 112 (three digits), so expect weak, small waves but clean faces. Monday (14th) also offers clean offshore winds in the morning, but again with tiny 2 ft waves from the SE. Just little dribblers.

Then we hit a long dry spell. From the end of Monday through to Saturday 20th September, the conditions are mostly poor – onshore winds, cross-shore chop, and hardly any useful swell. There’s a bit of a bump on Tuesday 15th (4 ft from the east) but it’s onshore and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday 21st September sees a decent push of east swell hitting 6 ft, with the combined energy climbing to 286 (strong). But the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the ENE at 19 mph, which is going to chop it up into lumpy, crumbly waves. Not great for a clean ride, but there’s power there. The period is only 7 seconds, so it’s wind swell – short, punchy, but messy. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing to be honest, given the size and the cross-shore breeze.

Tuesday 22nd September is a write-off. We get gale force cross-onshore winds up to 44 mph and rain – completely blown out. The swell is there but don’t even think about it.

The best on offer for the whole period is actually Thursday 24th September. The swell hangs around 4 ft from the SE, but more importantly the winds go light – near calm in the morning and a light WSW in the afternoon, leaving clean, glassy conditions. The combined energy is 144 (moderate), and the period is 8 seconds, so the waves will be fun, clean and rideable. This is the standout day for a patient surfer. It’s not big, but it’s the only real window of quality.

Overall, there’s a gap of about a week of poor to terrible conditions between the 14th and the 21st. After that, the end of the outlook has a few cleaner moments but the swell is small and inconsistent. Indian Wells is a sandbar that is fairly consistent, but it’s not firing this time around. Stay patient.

Rusty

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