
Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SW swell with 243 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 18s 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 Tuesday (Jul 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicator in the next 16 days are 0.6m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 13s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
Alright, let’s get into it. This is a bit of a tough stretch, but I’ll work through it for ya.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a pretty quiet start. There’s nothing on offer for the first few days. From Sunday the 12th right through to Tuesday morning the 15th, it’s flat or near flat. The little bumps we see are just tiny, with poor surf conditions and cross-onshore winds. It’s pretty much a write-off for the first part of the week.
The first real glimpse of something surfable shows up on the morning of Wednesday the 15th. We’re looking at a small 0.4 feet (1 ft) swell from the southwest, with a period of 18 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, which tends to be clean and have some energy behind it, but it’s tiny. The combined energy is moderate, 147 (moderate wave energy). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the south, so the surf is actually clean. This is for the only break we’ve got on the radar here: a reef and point setup, fairly exposed to the swell with an optimum direction from the NW. The water temp is a notable 69°F, which is 5°F much warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a big anomaly, so the water is feeling noticeably warm. The break is called out as fairly consistent, intermediate-level, and crowds are possible sometimes. The swell direction is from the SW, which isn’t exactly the optimum NW direction, but with a long period, it’ll still wrap in. It’s a promising little window, but it’s only for the morning, as the wind turns cross-onshore in the afternoon.
The morning of Thursday the 16th is another similar window. Still 0.4 feet (1 ft) from the SW, 16-second period, but now the wind is offshore from the SSE. That’s a major positive – clean glassy conditions. There’s a moderate combined energy of 135 (moderate wave energy). The afternoon also holds clean with a cross-offshore breeze. This is shaping up to be the best of the whole run, but it’s still small. The wave comment says “surfable but very ordinary,” so don’t expect barrels.
After that, we hit another gap. From Friday the 17th through to the 25th, it’s a long stretch of poor surf conditions. The swell pulses up a bit, hitting 2 feet to 2 feet on the 18th, 19th, and 20th, but the wind is consistently cross-onshore or cross, keeping it messy. The combined energy gets up to 263 (moderate) on the 19th, but the wind kills it. There’s a window on the morning of the 22nd with a light south wind, cross-offshore, and a 2 feet swell from the west, but the period is only 5 seconds – that’s short-period wind swell, weak and lumpy. Not worth paddling out for.
The next real standout isn’t until the morning of Sunday the 26th. That’s a week and a half away, so keep that in mind. On that morning, the wind goes glassy – I mean true glass, with a light SSE breeze. The swell is 2 feet from the SW, period 19 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell. The combined energy is 208 (moderate). This is a real promising setup, but it’s just a morning window. The rest of the day gets cross-onshore again.
The final day, Monday the 27th, shows a bump to 2 feet from the SW with a 18-second period, and a combined energy of 266 (moderate), but the wind is cross-shore, so it’s not ideal.
So, all in all, the standout here is the Thursday the 16th morning. That offshore wind, clean conditions, and a long period groundswell, even if it’s small, is the best bet. The Sunday the 26th morning is a close second for that glassy session, but it’s a long way out. The rest of the 16 days is mostly a washout with poor conditions and small, messy surf. If you’re an intermediate, you’ll get a few fun little waves on the 16th and maybe the 26th, but don’t expect much else. The break is a reef and point, so that long period swell will actually shape up nicely there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Sun afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 19°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | W 4 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | W 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 2 | 18 | 59 | 59 | 58 | 49 | 109 | 108 | 95 | 130 | 89 | 88 | 55 | 54 | 74 | 76 | 192 | 157 | 41 | 235 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross |
High Tide | 8:06PM2.53m | 10:13AM1.58m | 8:57PM2.59m | 10:55AM1.64m | 9:47PM2.56m | 11:36AM1.70m | 10:36PM2.45m | 12:18PM1.75m | 11:25PM2.25m | 1:00PM1.80m | 00:15AM2.00m | 1:42PM1.84m | 1:09AM1.73m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:35AM-0.12m | 2:36PM1.05m | 4:20AM-0.16m | 3:31PM1.00m | 5:04AM-0.12m | 4:25PM0.97m | 5:45AM-0.01m | 5:22PM0.95m | 6:25AM0.16m | 6:22PM0.96m | 7:02AM0.36m | 7:30PM0.96m | 7:38AM0.58m | ||||||||
— | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | |
8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | 8:02 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 14 | SW 15 | S 13 | SSE 12 | S 12 | S 11 |
178 | 107 | 139 | 101 | 44 | 59 | 89 | 11 | 39 | 95 | 130 | 46 | 24 | 22 | 12 | 74 | 76 | 117 | 152 | 233 | 149 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 14 | S 11 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | W 6 | SSE 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 17 |
38 | 15 | 2 | 32 | 27 | 58 | 49 | 109 | 108 | 29 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 91 | 94 | 6 | 71 | 192 | 157 | 41 | 235 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | S 16 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 15 | W 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | W 9 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 18 | W 6 | SW 13 | S 15 | SW 13 | W 15 |
18 | 20 | 18 | 59 | 59 | 21 | 16 | 65 | 33 | 14 | 28 | 28 | 15 | 55 | 54 | 51 | 6 | 27 | 109 | 27 | 17 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 4 | — | W 2 | W 3 | W 3 | W 3 | — | — | W 6 | — | SE 2 | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | — | W 3 | — | WNW 6 |
2 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | — | — | 39 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 62 | 32 | 45 | 62 | 6 | 199 | 117 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 140 | 62 | 2 | 166 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Los Angeles County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











