Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 28 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 387 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 0.3m and 5s. 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 1.1m 14s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 11AM.
| 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
Right, reckon I’ve had a proper look at the only spot worth talking about over the next sixteen days for this area, a reef and point set-up that’s fairly exposed to the west. To be honest, it’s a pretty grim run for most of it.
We’ve got a long, quiet stretch ahead. From Thursday the 27th of August right through to Monday the 7th of September, it’s basically flat or tiny, with poor conditions most days. There’s a few mornings with clean-looking surfaces and cross-off winds, but the swell just isn’t there – we’re talking waves barely reaching 2 feet, with short, weak periods mostly under 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak, often under 100. Not worth paddling out for.
That all changes on the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September. There’s a pulse of proper energy arriving. The water temperature is sitting at 72°, which is a massive 6° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, feels more like a tropical lagoon than a typical late winter morning.
Tuesday the 8th of September morning is the standout. The swell jumps to a clean 2 feet from the southwest, with a very long period of 18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy reading is a moderate 160. The wind is glassy, dead calm, which will make conditions absolutely perfect. This super-long period swell is ideal for this reef and point set-up; it’ll draw up nicely and offer clean, lined-up waves. It’s small enough for intermediates to handle.
Crowds can be a problem here sometimes, so if you can get out early on that Tuesday morning, you’ll be laughing. The afternoon gets blown out by a moderate cross-onshore, so make the most of that morning session.
Wednesday the 9th of September holds similar swell size and direction, with a 2 feet southwest swell at 16 seconds and moderate energy (211). The wind is a light cross-shore in the morning though, so it won’t be as pristine as Tuesday, but still surfable.
After that, the energy fades quickly through Thursday and Friday. The long-range pulse on the 9th and 10th shows moderate energy (199-254) but with strong onshore winds in the afternoons, so again, mornings are your window.
Overall, there’s one true standout: Tuesday the 8th of September morning. Glassy, long-period, clean. Get on it.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun morning, min 20°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 4 | W 4 | W 3 | W 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 74 | 74 | 20 | 45 | 32 | 107 | 67 | 56 | 387 | 91 | 58 | 88 | 47 | 21 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 12:59PM2.03m | 2:56AM1.23m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 6:07AM0.96m | 8:36PM0.64m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
Feels °C | 27 | 28 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | W 8 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 6 | SSW 16 | W 8 | W 7 | SSW 14 | W 7 | W 6 | S 12 | W 5 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 51 | 85 | 50 | 45 | 65 | 107 | 67 | 402 | 216 | 91 | 239 | 88 | 47 | 112 | 18 | 67 | 68 | 108 | 161 | 205 | 212 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | W 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | W 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | W 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 10 | W 4 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 17 |
| kJ | 74 | 45 | 119 | 186 | 125 | 475 | 373 | 15 | 392 | 249 | 15 | 180 | 134 | 70 | 103 | 61 | 33 | 6 | 69 | 67 | 184 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SW 14 | W 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | W 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 14 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | W 5 | S 11 | SW 18 | W 4 | W 10 | W 4 |
| kJ | 47 | 74 | 20 | 41 | 25 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 33 | 50 | 63 | 14 | 68 | 8 | 10 | 79 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 7 | — | — | W 7 | W 8 | — | W 7 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 3 | W 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | — | 56 | 387 | — | 58 | — | — | 21 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 2 | 10 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 62 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 18 | 1 | 54 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 19 | 2 | 117 | 31 | 166 | 41 | 2 |
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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