Indian Wells Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into this 16-day stretch for Indian Wells. Honestly, for the first week and a half, you’d be better off waxing your board just for the practice – there’s barely a ripple worth paddling for. It’s a tough start, but don’t lose hope; the last few days show some real promise, especially the final weekend.

We kick off with a real dud on Sunday the 13th. The morning is a write-off with moderate rain and a choppy cross-onshore wind. The afternoon cleans up nicely though with a light offshore breeze. The swell is tiny, a weak 3ft from the south with a short, snappy 6-second period, and the combined energy is barely there at 135 (moderate). The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no need for a thick suit yet.

Monday the 14th is an all-day skunk. We’ve got fresh offshore winds, which would be a dream if there was any wave. Swell is just 2ft from the southeast, dropping the energy to a measly 58. Forget it.

Tuesday the 15th through to Monday the 22nd is a long, flat spell. You’ll see tiny bumps and messy winds. The energy readings stick well below 100 for most of it, with a few days barely scraping past 50. There is a brief flicker on Thursday the 17th afternoon with clean conditions and a 2ft swell, but it’s barely surfable. Don’t get excited.

Then we hit a wall of wind. The middle of the second week, from the 20th to the 24th, gets hammered by strong to near-gale force winds. On the 20th, a 4ft swell from the southwest shows up, with the energy jumping to 188, but it's accompanied by a fresh cross-onshore wind that makes it a choppy mess. The 21st and 22nd are completely blown out with tiny swell. Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th have near-gale winds, combined with very long period 10-second swell from the southeast, but the heights are just 0.7ft to 1ft. The energy is in the 20 to 30 range – all wind, no wave. This kind of setup at a sandbar like Indian Wells would actually look better for kite surfing than for a regular surfboard.

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel. The standout period is Saturday the 26th and especially Sunday the 27th. On Saturday morning, we get a solid 4ft swell from the east-southeast with a 9-second period. The combined energy hits 208, which is a solid, moderate push. What makes it good is the glassy, clean conditions with a cross-offshore wind. The swell is a little small for experts but perfect for an intermediate.

Sunday the 27th is the pick of the fortnight. We have a clean 3ft swell from the east, but the period stretches to 11 seconds – that's a proper groundswell with some push. The combined energy is a solid 232, the highest in the whole run. The wind is light and cross-offshore, promising clean, workable faces all day on that sandbar. This is a genuine “call in sick” kind of session if you want a fun, user-friendly day. After that, it fades quickly into a light cross-shore chop on Monday the 28th.

So, in short: a whole lot of nothing for ten days, then a very promising weekend to close it out. Keep an eye on Sunday the 27th.

Rusty.

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