Indicator Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this outlook for the Indicator area is a tough one. If you’re hanging out for waves, you’re gonna be staring at a long, flat spell. The first sign of anything even remotely worth a paddle doesn’t show up until Tuesday, August 4th. That’s a ten-day dry spell from right now, so don’t bother waxing up your board just yet.

The water’s sitting at a very unusual 72°, a solid 7° above normal for the time of year—it’s like summer never left. The main break here is a reef and point setup, fairly consistent, and it loves swell from the NW. But the problem is, there’s hardly any swell coming in.

We start off Thursday, July 23rd, with a messy, poor surf call. Westerly swell at 3ft, but it’s a short-period 7 seconds, so it’s weak and gutless. Onshore WSW wind at 9–12 mph just wrecks it. Combined wave energy is a pathetic 69 (weak). Friday and Saturday are more of the same—tiny little 2ft swells, mostly clean but so small you wouldn’t bother. Sunday through the next week is a dead zone: wave heights barely crack 2ft, periods of 6–7 seconds, energy levels down to single digits or twenties. It’s completely flat for all practical purposes.

Then Tuesday, August 4th, we get a tiny glimmer. A SW swell at 1ft, but the period jumps to 16 seconds—that’s a long-period groundswell. Energy picks up to 110 (moderate). It’s still tiny, but the wind is clean SE offshore at 12 mph, so the conditions are tidy. This swell direction is side-on to the break’s optimum NW, so it’s not a perfect match, but for the only game in town, you’d take it. The score is a 1/10, but in this context, it’s the standout—really the only day you could get wet.

Wednesday, August 5th, and Thursday, August 6th, drop back to near-flat again: 1ft, 13–14 seconds, energy in the 60s–80s. Nothing to write home about. Friday, August 7th, we’re back to 1ft and a 6-second period—basically a lake.

The best of a bad bunch? Tuesday, August 4th morning. It’s the only time you’ll have clean, offshore conditions with a hint of groundswell energy. But don’t expect barrels—this is a long-period swell for a point/reef, so it’ll wrap in nicely, but at 1ft it’s barely rideable. It’s been quiet, but with the break being fairly consistent, it tends not to stay this poor for long. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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