Indian Wells Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Indian Wells over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week or so is pretty grim. There’s a big ol’ gap of nothing worthwhile from now until the start of September. For the first several days, we’re lookin’ at tiny, weak swell with a lot of onshore or cross-shore wind messing it up. The water temp is sittin’ around 71°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th see tiny waves around 2 ft to 3 ft from the SE, but with a short 8-second period, the energy is weak (107 down to 50). The wind is all over the place – cross-shore, cross-off – but it’s just not enough to get excited about. Sunday and Monday are even smaller, with swell dropping to 1 ft. Monday morning looks clean with a light offshore from the NNW, but the waves are just too small to bother. We’re basically lookin’ at a solid week of flat, poor conditions.

Now, hang in there, because things start to shift around Thursday the 3rd of September. That afternoon, a pulse of South swell comes through at 7 ft with a 7-second period, and the wind swings offshore from the NW. The combined energy jumps to 402 (moderate), and the surf cleans right up. That’s a decent little window for the more experienced crew – 7 ft is gettin’ into the “experts only” zone. It’s not a long period groundswell, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far.

But the real standout – the one you’ve gotta mark on your calendar – is Wednesday the 9th of September. The morning brings a beautiful SSE groundswell at 3 ft with a *very long* 14-second period. The energy is strong (422) and the wind is light and offshore from the NNW. This is groundswell, so it’ll have that nice shape and power, and the clean conditions will make it proper. It’s not huge, but the quality will be there. Keep in mind, with a period that long, the sets will be spaced out and it might break a little straight on the beach, but for a sandbar, it’s still a treat.

The 10th of September morning is also worth a mention – another SSE swell at 4 ft with a 12-second period, clean with light offshore winds, and energy at 528. That’s a solid follow-up. The afternoon gets blown out by a strong cross-onshore, so get your session in early.

A couple of other notes: around the 12th of September, we get a 7 ft SSW swell on Saturday morning with a 7-second period. The wind is cross-off from the N, so it’ll be clean, but it’s steep and a bit raw for beginners. The afternoon cleans up with a gentle offshore, but the swell is droppin’ to 5 ft.

Overall, the first week is a write-off. The second week has some promise, especially the 9th and 10th of September. That’s your window. Crowds are listed as “sometimes” at Indian Wells, so you might get a few heads out, but it’s not usually a zoo.

This is Rusty, signing off. See you in the water.

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