Indian Wells Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and get into what’s going on around the Indian Wells sandbar. It’s a pretty lean stretch ahead, so don’t get your hopes up for a week of glory. We’re looking at a lot of small, ordinary days with messy wind, but there is a couple of windows where it might just be worth a paddle.

Right now, Friday morning, the ocean is offering up a clean 3 ft wave from the SSW, but it’s a short period 6-second job. The energy is weak (59), and the water is sitting at 71°, which is about average for the time of year. The wind is a light cross-off from the W, so it’s clean, but the swell is too weak and short to get excited about. It’s just surfable, nothing more.

The rest of the weekend and into the following week is a bit of a write-off. Saturday and Sunday see the swell bumping up just a touch to 3 ft - 4 ft, but the wind turns cross and cross-off, and the conditions are described as poor. The wave energy stays in the moderate range (106 to 130), but it’s not enough to overcome the chop. From Monday the 10th through to Friday the 14th of August, we’re in a real funk. The swell drops to 2 ft - 3 ft, with periods still short around 4-7 seconds, and the wind is variable from glassy to cross-off. The energy is weak (41-62), and though the morning windows can look clean, it’s just too small to really push a board.

Then we hit a bit of a gap. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are a total bust with onshore and cross-on winds, rain, and a fresh breeze on Sunday making it lumpy. The swell is only 2 ft - 4 ft, but the wind wrecks it.

Alright, here is the one true standout to circle on your calendar. Monday the 17th of August. The swell starts to build in the morning, but the afternoon is where it’s at. We’re looking at a 6 ft SSW swell (271 moderate energy), which is a solid size for Indian Wells. The real kicker is the wind: all day it’s a clean offshore from the NW, which is exactly what you want. The period is only 6 seconds, so it’s a bit of a windswell, but the offshore breeze will make it clean and lined up. The morning is a moderate offshore (16 mph), and by the afternoon it drops to a gentle 9 mph offshore, making for what should be proper surf. This is a size that’s fine for intermediates, but it’s pushing into the range where beginners might find it a bit much. Expect some crowds as it’s a spot that can get busy.

After that, the 18th of August Tuesday morning is glassy, but the swell drops back to 3 ft. It’s clean, but it doesn’t have the same punch. The rest of the week from Wednesday the 19th onward falls off a cliff. The swell drops to 1 ft - 2 ft, with cross-shore winds and short periods, and the energy is pitiful (24-49). The 20th and 21st of August see a slightly longer period (9-10 seconds), but it’s tiny and the wind is still cross-shore. By Saturday the 22nd of August, the swell is 1 ft with a onshore wind – a total washout.

So, the long and short of it: the first week and a half is patience-testing small stuff. The only real day to get excited about is Monday the 17th of August, with that clean offshore wind and building swell. It’s a good bet, but don’t expect it to last. The second week from the 19th onward looks very quiet.

This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more