Indicator Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.78° N 118.43° W

Indicator Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 pm 24 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Indicator sea temperature is
22.0°C
3.2° 

Indicator surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Indicator surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, W swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, W swell with 239 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s 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 (Aug 25) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy 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 TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Tue 25th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 17s
Best Surf 2AM (Sun 30th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 7s
Most Powerful 2AM (Sun 30th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 7s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Righteo, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up over the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a pretty lean stretch for the Indicator reef-and-point set-up. The first solid recommendation doesn’t show up until Monday morning the 25th of August, and even then it’s not exactly firing.

The overall pattern is one of small, weak swells and a lot of onshore or cross-onshore wind, which is going to chop things up. There’s a bit of a run of nothing from the start of the window right through to Sunday the 24th afternoon – that first record shows poor surf with a tiny 1 ft swell.

The standout in this whole 16-day window is the Tuesday morning session on the 3rd of September. That’s a clean, cross-offshore morning with the water feeling much warmer than normal – we’re talking 72°F here, which is over five degrees warmer than usual for the time of year, so that’s really unusual. The swell is a small 1 ft from the SW, but with a long period of 16 seconds. That long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely at this reef-and-point break, and with the light S wind it’ll be clean. The combined swell energy at that time is a moderate 153. Not a big day, but the conditions will be right for a few tidy ones. Crowds are possible here in the better windows, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

Before that, the best of the early run looks like Saturday morning the 30th of August. A small 4 ft from the W with a short period of 7 seconds, but it’s clean with a cross-off breeze. Combined energy is 116, so moderate. It’s not a standout, but it’s the best we get for a while.

The rest of the period is mostly poor surf or very ordinary. A few mornings like the 25th and 26th of August and the 3rd of September have clean conditions but tiny swell. There’s no real size here – nothing over 4 ft, so it’s all pretty small-scale. Most afternoons get chopped up by the W or WSW breeze.

For that Tuesday morning on the 3rd of September, that’s the one to circle. It’s still a week and a half away, so don’t lock it in just yet, but it looks the most promising by a long shot.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Fri morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SW
17
0.6
SW
16
0.5
SW
16
0.5
SW
16
0.5
SW
16
0.5
SW
16
0.5
SW
15
0.4
SW
15
0.4
SW
14
0.4
SW
14
0.4
W
6
0.5
W
6
1
W
6
0.9
W
6
0.8
W
6
1.5
W
7
1
W
7
0.8
W
7
1.1
W
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
173
169
127
124
124
121
104
75
74
64
12
16
83
65
50
239
88
55
110
Wind (km/h)
10
SE
5
SSE
15
W
10
SE
10
SSE
10
S
10
SE
10
SSE
10
SW
5
SSE
10
WSW
20
WSW
5
SW
10
WSW
15
WSW
5
SSE
5
SSW
20
W
5
SSE
Wind State
off
off
cross-on
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross-on
off
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
Low Tide
2:55AM0.27m
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
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:22
6:22
6:22
6:24
6:24
6:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:28
7:27
7:25
7:23
7:22
7:22
 mm
Temp °C
24
24
25
24
25
24
24
24
24
24
25
25
24
23
24
23
23
23
22
Feels °C
22
26
25
24
26
25
26
25
25
26
26
25
24
24
24
23
25
23
22
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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