Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, W swell with 214 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Indicator this week:
The surf forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicator in the next 16 days are 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 17s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, putting it in the old units. This whole 16-day window is a tough one, so I’ll keep it short.
The only spot that’s even worth a look is this reef and point break. The water is a warm 72°F, which is 6°F warmer than normal – that’s a big deal. The wind is from the SE, which is a clean cross-off here, and the swell is coming from the NW, which is the best direction for the place.
The problem is the size. On Tuesday, August 25th morning, the best session, it’s a 2-foot swell from the SW with a 16-second period – a nice groundswell, but small. The combined energy is weak at 177. The morning is clean with a 5 km/h cross-off. Afternoon is a cross-on mess.
Wednesday, August 26th is the same story: 2-foot, 16-second SW swell. The morning is clean, but the afternoon is crossed up.
From Thursday, August 27th to Wednesday, September 9th, it’s all poor conditions. The swell drops to 1 feet, the periods get short, and the wind is mostly onshore. The only exception is Wednesday, September 9th afternoon, where a 2-foot, 17-second swell shows up with a moderate 266 energy, but the 15 km/h cross-shore wind will mess it up.
So, the only real standout is the Tuesday, August 25th morning session. It’s the cleanest you’ll get, but it’s tiny. The long period will help the wave shape on the reef, but don’t expect much.
There’s a big gap after that with nothing good. For a spot that’s usually fairly consistent, this is a dry spell. It won’t stay this way forever, though.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed morning, min 21°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Fri morning, min 20°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 169 | 127 | 16 | 124 | 119 | 104 | 75 | 74 | 64 | 12 | 28 | 186 | 67 | 48 | 134 | 91 | 53 | 88 | 50 | 35 | 65 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:26AM1.60m | 8:17PM2.17m | 9:45AM1.66m | 8:52PM2.19m | 10:05AM1.73m | 9:26PM2.16m | 10:26AM1.81m | 10:01PM2.08m | 10:49AM1.89m | 10:39PM1.95m | 11:14AM1.95m | 11:20PM1.78m | 11:42AM2.00m | 00:07AM1.58m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:12PM1.06m | 3:21AM0.24m | 2:47PM0.96m | 3:45AM0.25m | 3:23PM0.87m | 4:09AM0.30m | 4:00PM0.78m | 4:33AM0.39m | 4:40PM0.71m | 4:56AM0.51m | 5:23PM0.67m | 5:19AM0.65m | 6:13PM0.65m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 26 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 15 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 6 | SSW 16 | W 7 | W 7 | SSW 15 | W 7 | W 6 | SSW 14 | W 6 |
| kJ | 169 | 127 | 153 | 199 | 177 | 114 | 50 | 118 | 76 | 186 | 65 | 107 | 67 | 402 | 134 | 91 | 242 | 88 | 50 | 110 | 65 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 17 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | W 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSE 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 12 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 8 | 56 | 16 | 124 | 119 | 104 | 75 | 74 | 119 | 41 | 24 | 475 | 373 | 15 | 392 | 279 | 34 | 180 | 136 | 49 | 101 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSE 13 | S 11 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | S 12 | W 8 | SW 14 | W 6 | SSW 19 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 14 | W 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SW 19 | SSE 12 |
| kJ | 57 | 55 | 65 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 47 | 11 | 64 | 12 | 125 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 15 | 28 | 27 | 14 | 46 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | WNW 7 | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — |
| kJ | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 28 | 186 | — | 48 | — | — | 53 | — | — | 35 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 117 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 45 | 41 | 0 | 148 | 62 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Los Angeles County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Indicator surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Indicator Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Indicator provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Indicator can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Indicator surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Indicator) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Indicator may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Indicator is 5 km (3 miles) from the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. If you plan a vacation in Los Angeles County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Rancho Palos Verdes. Rancho Palos Verdes has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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