Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, W swell with 181 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 19s 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 19s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicator in the next 16 days are 1.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 15s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next fortnight is going to test your patience. We’ve got a long, lean stretch coming up with nothing really worth paddling out for. The water’s warm, sure, but the swell just isn’t playing ball.
Alright, so Tuesday the 18th of August kicks things off, but there’s no surf worth mentioning. Tiny 2ft swell from the west with a short 6-second period, and the combined energy is a measly 38 (weak). It’s a write-off.
The whole rest of that first week, right through to Sunday the 23rd, is flat or near-flat. Swell heights barely tickle 1ft, and the combined energy stays weak, mostly under 100. The wind is a mix of cross-off and cross, but with no power behind the waves, it’s just a lake out there.
Monday the 24th of August sees a little more energy creeping in – the combined swell energy hits 134 (moderate) – but the swell is still only 1ft and short-period. By Tuesday the 25th, that energy jumps to 201 (moderate) with a 2ft swell from the southwest, but it’s still cross-on and choppy. Not a single good wave in the lot.
This sad story continues right through to Tuesday the 1st of September. We finally see a 4ft swell from the west on the morning of the 1st, with combined energy of 194 (moderate), but it’s a messy, short-period 6 seconds and onshore breeze. The calmest days are glassy but flat – there’s no push.
The only faint glimmer comes on Wednesday the 2nd of September. Early morning, we get a 2ft southwest groundswell with a 16-second period and clean, offshore winds from the southeast. Combined energy is 174 (moderate). The waves are surfable but tiny – this is a kite surfer’s window, not a paddle surfer’s. The long period makes those 2ft lines peel slowly, but there’s just not enough height to do much on a traditional board.
Look, this reef and point setup (Indicator) needs a proper push from the northwest to get going, and we just aren’t seeing it. The water temperature is 70°, which is 4° warmer than normal – a real anomaly, feels like a warm bath. But without swell, that doesn’t help. Crowds are *sometimes* an issue here, but this week you’ll have the place to yourself – because there’s nothing to surf.
Hang in there. Forecasts can flip, but right now, it’s a drought.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 19°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 22°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 19 | W 5 | W 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | W 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 38 | 38 | 63 | 36 | 16 | 15 | 56 | 14 | 11 | 50 | 49 | 47 | 50 | 50 | 58 | 127 | 111 | 112 | 111 | 101 | 181 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:53PM1.88m | 3:42AM1.21m | 2:45PM1.83m | 3:57PM1.81m | 8:34AM1.36m | 5:14PM1.84m | 8:37AM1.43m | 6:15PM1.92m | 8:52AM1.49m | 7:02PM2.01m | 9:08AM1.54m | 7:41PM2.10m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 9:30PM0.80m | 7:13AM1.13m | 11:10PM0.74m | 00:27AM0.64m | 10:14AM1.35m | 1:18AM0.53m | 12:01PM1.32m | 1:56AM0.42m | 12:56PM1.25m | 2:27AM0.34m | 1:37PM1.16m | 2:55AM0.27m | |||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 16 | W 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 17 | W 7 |
| kJ | 38 | 70 | 63 | 36 | 217 | 15 | 118 | 120 | 115 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 42 | 30 | 120 | 57 | 57 | 14 | 23 | 101 | 127 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | W 8 | SSW 15 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 18 | W 5 | W 6 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | S 14 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 146 | 109 | 142 | 209 | 5 | 125 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 49 | 2 | 6 | 42 | 58 | 127 | 111 | 103 | 111 | 29 | 137 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | S 9 | SW 19 | SW 20 | W 14 | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 19 | W 12 | SW 18 | S 16 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 5 | S 16 | S 16 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 14 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 42 | 2 | 15 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 56 | 14 | 11 | 50 | 21 | 47 | 50 | 50 | 2 | 46 | 20 | 112 | 31 | 37 | 58 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 6 | W 7 |
| kJ | — | 38 | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 5 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 41 | 181 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 117 | 1 | 1 | 117 | 1 | 1 | 148 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 2 | 2 | 62 | 1 | 117 | 117 | 0 | 62 | 72 | 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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