Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, W swell with 407 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s 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 27) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. 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 1.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 2AM. 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 18s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cooking for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, mate, there's not much to get excited about. The forecast is looking pretty flat and quiet. The water is a warm 72°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than usual for this time of year – that's seriously unusual and is very noticeable.
The only spot worth mentioning, Indicator (reef and point), is meant to be a fairly consistent NW swell magnet, but it's really struggling. We've got a long run of "poor surf conditions" ahead, basically a blank period for the next 16 days.
The only real glimmer is on Wednesday, August 26th, in the morning. We've got a tiny 2 ft swell from the SW, but it's a 16-second period, a proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy is weak (139), and the wind is glassy, which is a major positive for clean conditions. The water is much warmer than normal. But let's be real, it's small. It's surfable, but you'll be looking for any little bump. After that, it's a long, dry spell. The swell windows are tiny, with periods often under 9 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross or onshore, chopping it up even more.
From the afternoon of the 26th right through to the end of the 16-day window, it's pretty much a write-off. There are a few periods of clean conditions (like the morning of the 27th, the 29th, and 30th) but the swell is just too small to do anything with. The best we see is a 4 ft swell on the afternoon of Sunday, August 30th, but it's short period (7 seconds) and the wind is cross-shore, so it's poor.
The long-range stuff around the 5th of September and beyond shows a slight lift in swell period but the heights are still tiny and the wind is onshore. It's a tough outlook.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 19°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 124 | 119 | 104 | 74 | 74 | 64 | 58 | 36 | 131 | 71 | 58 | 407 | 88 | 117 | 88 | 33 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross | off | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 12:16PM2.03m | 1:10AM1.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 5:43AM0.81m | 7:15PM0.65m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
Feels °C | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | W 7 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 7 | SSW 16 | W 8 | W 7 | SSW 15 | W 7 | W 6 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 13 |
| kJ | 199 | 177 | 114 | 51 | 85 | 50 | 58 | 65 | 131 | 71 | 402 | 222 | 88 | 242 | 88 | 33 | 112 | 103 | 87 | 89 | 206 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | W 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | W 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 124 | 119 | 104 | 74 | 74 | 119 | 186 | 125 | 480 | 373 | 27 | 392 | 249 | 43 | 180 | 134 | 70 | 101 | 65 | 44 | 80 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 13 | S 12 | SW 18 | SW 14 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | W 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 14 | W 9 | SSE 12 | S 13 | SW 19 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | SSW 10 |
| kJ | 15 | 9 | 31 | 47 | 81 | 64 | 27 | 25 | 12 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 15 | 49 | 85 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 6 | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 7 | W 8 | — | W 7 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | W 5 |
| kJ | — | — | 10 | — | 19 | — | — | 36 | — | — | 58 | 407 | — | 117 | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 41 | 1 | 45 | 41 | 0 | 2 | 62 | 15 | 2 | 55 | 2 | 2 | 166 | 2 | 166 | 148 | 19 |
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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