Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SW swell with 198 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 2AM (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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 3s. 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 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 17s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get real about this forecast window. Honestly, the first couple of weeks are a write-off for anything decent. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly messy surf. You’ll see a lot of cross and cross-onshore winds chopping up what little energy there is. The swell heights are tiny, mostly under 2ft, and the periods are all over the place, so don’t get excited.
The good news is there’s a pulse of cleaner conditions towards the end of the window. Around the 23rd and 24th of August, we see a shift. The wind goes light and glassy or cross-off, and the swell, while still small, straightens out with a solid SW direction and a longer period. That’s when the Indicator (reef and point) starts to look like the only real game in town. It’s a fairly consistent spot, so it should pick up whatever’s running.
The standout is the morning of the 24th. The swell is 2ft from the SW with an 18-second period, and the wind is glass. That’s a proper clean little window. The energy is moderate (257), which is the best we’ll see all forecast. It’s not going to be big, but it’ll be clean and lined up on that reef. The water is running about 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year, which is a big anomaly, so it’ll feel like a warm bath out there.
The 23rd morning is also worth a look. It’s a touch smaller, around 2ft, but still has that clean, cross-off wind and a decent 19-second period. The energy is moderate (195). It’s just a sign that things are finally turning.
The rest of the second week is a mixed bag of small, short-period slop and onshore breezes. The 19th morning had a clean cross-off, but the swell was tiny at 2ft with a weak 7-second period, so it’s not worth paddling for. There’s a long gap of nothing from the 9th all the way to the 22nd, over two weeks of flatness and chop. Stick to fixing your board or going for a run.
So, mark your calendar for the 23rd and 24th. It’s not a bomb, but it’s the only clean, rideable surf on the horizon. Keep the expectations low, and you might just score a few fun ones.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 20°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 18°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | WSW 5 | WSW 4 | W 4 | W 12 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 3 | W 3 | SW 14 | W 4 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 19 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 8 | 52 | 154 | 152 | 143 | 127 | 125 | 124 | 198 | 188 | 104 | 2 | 3 | 91 | 9 | 61 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:40AM1.49m | 7:09PM2.37m | 9:15AM1.59m | 8:03PM2.46m | 9:49AM1.69m | 8:52PM2.49m | 10:23AM1.78m | 9:39PM2.43m | 10:56AM1.85m | 10:24PM2.29m | 11:29AM1.91m | 11:09PM2.08m | 12:03PM1.95m | 11:55PM1.84m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:45PM1.17m | 2:38AM0.01m | 1:46PM1.06m | 3:19AM-0.06m | 2:40PM0.94m | 3:58AM-0.05m | 3:30PM0.84m | 4:34AM0.03m | 4:20PM0.77m | 5:07AM0.17m | 5:09PM0.73m | 5:39AM0.36m | 6:01PM0.73m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 172 | 121 | 120 | 105 | 118 | 68 | 56 | 154 | 152 | 143 | 127 | 125 | 124 | 198 | 188 | 104 | 138 | 220 | 234 | 326 | 314 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | SSW 11 | WSW 4 | SSW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 8 | 12 | 3 | 38 | 97 | 96 | 33 | 54 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 10 | 21 | 21 | 75 | 137 | 211 | 180 | 91 | 44 | 61 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SSW 21 | SSW 11 | W 4 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 12 | SW 22 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 |
| kJ | 19 | 45 | 12 | 1 | 25 | 8 | 52 | 29 | 28 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 18 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 30 | 26 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 5 | — | — | W 12 | — | — | W 2 | — | W 5 | W 3 | W 3 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | — | W 3 | W 3 | WSW 8 | W 4 | W 4 |
| kJ | — | 7 | — | — | 25 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | — | 2 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 12 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 166 | 117 | 1 | 166 | 117 | 14 | 1 | 62 | 37 | 166 | 117 | 0 | 4 | 117 | 0 | 166 | 117 | 9 | 10 | 117 | 19 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Los Angeles County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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