Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 19s period, SW swell with 546 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 2PM (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 Monday (Jul 20) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period. 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 0.9m 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 16s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's coming up over the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, the start of the outlook is a bit of a flat spell. From Monday the 20th of July through to the end of the month, we're looking at a stretch of small, weak swell with mainly cross or cross-onshore winds. The swell heights are mostly under 3 ft and the energy is pretty low. There's a few clean mornings here and there, but the wave quality is just not there for a proper surf. We might see a bit of a knee-high wave on a glassy morning like Saturday the 25th, but it's a tease rather than a session.
The first real standout isn't until the 28th of July, a Tuesday morning. That's when we get a proper pulse of groundswell. The swell comes from the SW at 3 ft with a long period of 17 seconds and a solid combined energy reading. The wind is offshore from the SSE at 9 mph, making for clean conditions. This is a classic reef and point setup, and with that long period, it'll be a very good wave at the points. The water temperature is around 72°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year, about 7° above average, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home. The break is fairly consistent and the optimum swell direction is from the NW, so this SW swell is a bit out of its sweet spot, but the quality of the swell and the offshore wind make it the best option in the whole window. Keep in mind that the crowds are possible here, so get there early.
After that, the rest of the first week of August looks similar to the start: small, weak, and mostly cross-shore winds. The swell energy stays low. There's a brief flicker of a SW swell with a 16-second period on the afternoon of the 3rd of August, but with cross-shore winds and a height of only 1.0 ft, it's not worth rushing out for.
Overall, this is a patchy run with a long gap of poor surf until the 28th of July. That Tuesday morning is the one to aim for. It's a promising but not guaranteed long-range call, so keep an eye on the charts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 21°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 5 | SW 16 | SW 13 | W 4 | W 3 | W 5 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 6 | W 6 | SW 26 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 21 | W 6 | SW 21 | SW 19 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 7 | 201 | 84 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 28 | 42 | 134 | 35 | 105 | 131 | 44 | 23 | 368 | 27 | 355 | 546 | 17 | 15 | 455 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 3:13PM1.88m | 3:50AM1.29m | 4:03PM1.89m | 6:02AM1.24m | 4:56PM1.91m | 7:48AM1.30m | 5:49PM1.95m | 8:41AM1.38m | 6:37PM2.01m | 9:13AM1.43m | 7:20PM2.08m | 9:40AM1.48m | 8:00PM2.16m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:14AM0.79m | 10:19PM0.87m | 8:52AM0.98m | 11:46PM0.76m | 9:41AM1.13m | 00:52AM0.62m | 10:52AM1.23m | 1:41AM0.50m | 12:05PM1.26m | 2:20AM0.39m | 1:01PM1.24m | 2:54AM0.31m | 1:45PM1.20m | 3:26AM0.24m | |||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 |
Feels °C | 22 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 6 | S 13 | S 13 | W 7 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 21 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 193 | 201 | 175 | 481 | 201 | 291 | 239 | 183 | 95 | 222 | 280 | 131 | 219 | 206 | 368 | 150 | 145 | 546 | 480 | 330 | 455 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | SW 13 | W 4 | SSW 12 | W 5 | W 5 | SSW 8 | S 14 | W 6 | SW 26 | S 13 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | W 6 |
| kJ | 85 | 88 | 84 | 3 | 123 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 200 | 35 | 105 | 289 | 44 | 23 | 27 | 404 | 355 | 125 | 98 | 79 | 25 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 5 | S 10 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SSE 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WSW 18 | SSW 26 | SSW 24 | SSW 24 | S 12 | W 6 | S 12 | W 6 | W 6 | S 10 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 7 | 4 | 51 | 20 | 16 | 46 | 26 | 73 | 178 | 123 | 31 | 66 | 368 | 217 | 99 | 27 | 3 | 26 | 17 | 2 | 46 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 6 | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 28 | 42 | 134 | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | 15 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 62 | 2 | 2 | 67 | 12 | 1 | 166 | 3 | 62 | 72 | 0 | 2 | 117 | 0 | 62 | 72 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
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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