Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SW swell with 342 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 2PM (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 Friday (Sep 04) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m 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 0.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 14s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've got to be straight with you—this isn't a classic stretch for this spot. We're looking at a reef and point set-up that's fairly consistent when it does get going, but we've got a long, quiet spell ahead. The wind will be mostly from the S and SE early, which is offshore for this break, but the swell just isn't there for a while.
The first real chance to get wet doesn't come until Thursday, September 12th. That morning, a clean 5ft swell from the west rolls in, with a short period of 7 seconds. The wind is a light 6 mph cross-offshore from the south, keeping things looking tidy. The water is a very warm 74°, which is 8° above normal for this time of year—that's a real standout, feels like a tropical bath. The combined energy is strong at 536, so there's some punch. It's a solid session for intermediates, but it's not beginner-friendly at that size. The crowds are only "sometimes" an issue, so you might get a few out, but it's worth the look.
Before that, there's a long gap. From now until September 11th, it's mostly small, weak, and wind-affected. The swell is tiny—1.0ft to 2ft—with poor to ordinary conditions. Even the morning of Sunday, September 6th, which has a glassy 2ft south-west groundswell with a 14-second period (108 combined energy), it's just too small to get excited about.
After the 12th, things get messy again. On Sunday morning, September 13th, we get a clean 2ft south-west swell with a 13-second period and a light offshore, but it's so small it's barely a paddle. The 16th of September morning has a 4ft west-northwest swell with a 6-second period, but it's cross-shore and only marginal.
The last week of the forecast is a bit of a tease. The 18th of September afternoon sees a 2ft south-west swell with a 19-second period and a combined energy of 552, but the wind is a cross-onshore and it's a no-go. The morning of the 18th is a bit better with a 2ft south-west swell, 20-second period, and a light cross-shore, but it's still only marginal.
So, if you're after a wave, the morning of September 12th is your only real standout. The rest is a long, quiet wait. It's a good spot, but this run is a patience tester. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, that's the story.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat morning, min 19°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun morning, min 21°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | W 5 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | SW 11 | W 4 | SW 12 | SW 11 | S 15 | SW 11 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | W 6 | SW 17 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 83 | 21 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 59 | 6 | 48 | 30 | 0 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 49 | 49 | 93 | 31 | 135 | 235 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 1:58PM2.00m | 6:18AM1.25m | 3:21PM2.00m | 7:21AM1.38m | 4:52PM2.05m | 7:50AM1.50m | 6:07PM2.15m | 8:18AM1.63m | 7:07PM2.25m | 8:46AM1.75m | 7:58PM2.29m | 9:14AM1.86m | 8:45PM2.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:17PM0.58m | 7:10AM1.25m | 11:45PM0.44m | 10:06AM1.32m | 00:47AM0.29m | 11:54AM1.24m | 1:35AM0.17m | 1:01PM1.09m | 2:15AM0.11m | 1:54PM0.92m | 2:51AM0.11m | 2:41PM0.76m | 3:24AM0.17m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:10 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
Feels °C | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | SSW 18 | W 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 10 |
| kJ | 29 | 207 | 41 | 364 | 310 | 322 | 425 | 277 | 229 | 168 | 508 | 487 | 318 | 571 | 555 | 420 | 378 | 283 | 190 | 133 | 98 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | SW 18 | W 5 | SSW 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 14 | SSW 16 | S 15 | SW 11 | WSW 10 | S 12 | SW 11 | W 5 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 17 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 74 | 57 | 319 | 21 | 114 | 99 | 95 | 189 | 273 | 233 | 19 | 10 | 243 | 4 | 7 | 49 | 49 | 25 | 31 | 135 | 235 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 15 | SW 11 | W 4 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 14 | W 12 | — | W 5 | — | SW 10 | SW 21 | SW 22 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 83 | 19 | 47 | 48 | 43 | 59 | 6 | 48 | 30 | 138 | 3 | — | 13 | — | 4 | 18 | 18 | 93 | 94 | 31 | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | W 4 | — | W 5 | — | — | W 3 | W 5 | — | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 3 | WNW 5 | — | W 6 | W 4 |
| kJ | — | 21 | — | — | 7 | 9 | — | 4 | — | — | 4 | 12 | — | 12 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 45 | — | 15 | 10 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 62 | 2 | 1 | 117 | 14 | 166 | 148 | 6 | 72 | 62 | 22 | 72 | 41 | 15 | 62 | 54 | 18 | 62 | 62 | 6 |
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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