Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, W swell with 206 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 13s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you—this 16-day stretch for the Indicator (reef and point) is a tough one. We’ve got a lot of days where the surf is just not happening, or the conditions are so ordinary you’d be better off staying on the sand. There’s a big gap right at the start, from Monday the 31st of August right through to the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September—nothing worth paddling out for. The water’s unusually warm at 75°, a full 9° above normal, which feels weird, but that doesn’t save the waves.
Come Thursday the 3rd of September morning, we finally see a glimmer. It’s not great, but it’s something. We’ve got a small 1ft swell out of the southwest, with a long period of 15 seconds—that’s proper groundswell energy, giving the waves some shape. The wind is light from the south, cross-offshore, and the sea is clean. The combined energy is moderate (129), so there’s a bit of push there, but the size is tiny. This is strictly for the longboard or a foiler, and only if you’re desperate for a paddle.
The standout, if you can call it that, comes much later. Look at Saturday the 12th of September morning. We get a 2ft southwest swell with a 14-second period, and although the wind is cross-onshore from the WSW at 9 mph, the combined energy is solid at 181 (moderate). It’s still small, but for this reef-and-point setup, the long period means the swell will wrap in with some push. The problem is the wave comment says “poor surf conditions,” so don’t expect barrels. This is the best on offer, which tells you how quiet the window is.
Another one to keep an eye on is the morning of Monday the 14th of September. Glassy conditions from a light west-southwest breeze and a 1.0ft southwest groundswell with a 17-second period. The combined energy is only 77 (weak), but glassy is glassy, and for a point break, that long period might give you a few lined-up little runners. It’s for the patient surfer.
That’s it, really. Most afternoons are chopped up by westerly winds, and the swell never gets over 2ft. It’s a flat spell with only fleeting, marginal windows. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed night, min 19°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun morning, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | ||||||||||||||
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 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 18 | W 6 | SW 16 | W 6 | W 7 | SW 15 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 10 | W 4 | W 5 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 20 | 34 | 41 | 49 | 69 | 95 | 21 | 206 | 84 | 21 | 83 | 33 | 27 | 35 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-on |
High Tide | 00:07AM1.58m | 12:16PM2.03m | 1:10AM1.38m | 12:59PM2.03m | 2:56AM1.23m | 1:58PM2.00m | 6:18AM1.25m | 3:21PM2.00m | 7:21AM1.38m | 4:52PM2.05m | 7:50AM1.50m | 6:07PM2.15m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:13PM0.65m | 5:43AM0.81m | 7:15PM0.65m | 6:07AM0.96m | 8:36PM0.64m | 6:33AM1.11m | 10:17PM0.58m | 7:10AM1.25m | 11:45PM0.44m | 10:06AM1.32m | 00:47AM0.29m | 11:54AM1.24m | 1:35AM0.17m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | |  |  | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — |
 | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 11 |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 21 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | W 5 | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 12 | W 7 | W 6 | SSW 18 | W 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 |
| kJ | 127 | 20 | 22 | 68 | 41 | 22 | 121 | 127 | 45 | 273 | 83 | 364 | 343 | 322 | 310 | 310 | 229 | 225 | 280 | 280 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 11 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SW 18 | W 6 | SW 10 | W 6 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 75 | 69 | 68 | 36 | 43 | 64 | 67 | 81 | 78 | 41 | 319 | 33 | 26 | 35 | 135 | 189 | 204 | 191 | 193 | 125 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | W 10 | SW 17 | SW 15 | S 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 14 | W 6 | SW 10 | W 4 | W 5 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 |
| kJ | 14 | 62 | 38 | 49 | 79 | 95 | 2 | 145 | 84 | 12 | 43 | 46 | 14 | 113 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | — | W 6 | W 7 | — | W 6 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | WSW 5 | — | — | W 3 | W 4 |
| kJ | 20 | 34 | 41 | 29 | 69 | — | 21 | 206 | — | 21 | — | — | 27 | — | — | 9 | — | — | 3 | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 62 | 31 | 2 | 62 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
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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