Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 24s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 19s period, SW swell with 546 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s 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 Monday (Jul 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period. 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 0.9m 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) 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 0.9m 16s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 24s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk about your local spot. It’s a reef and point break, fairly exposed, and it’s looking like a pretty quiet 16 days out here. The water is sitting at 71°F right now, which is a massive 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you’re in for a warm session if you get in.
Right now, through Sunday the 19th, the swell is small at 2ft from the SW with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, but the wind is a cross-on from the WSW at 15 km/h, and the combined energy is moderate (257). It’s not doing the spot any favours – it’s a bit choppy and messy. Honestly, it’s poor surf.
Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are tiny. We’re looking at 1ft and 0.3ft swell with hardly any energy (7-6). The early mornings are clean with light offshore or cross-off breezes, but there’s just no push. You’d be floating.
Wednesday the 22nd through to the end of the month, it’s the same story. Swell heights stay between 1.0ft and 3ft, mostly from the W or SW. The periods are all over the place – some short, some long – but the energy is weak to moderate at best (6-155). The wind is often cross-on or cross-off, and the water is clean in the mornings, but the waves are just too small and gutless. Every single entry is marked as poor surf conditions. There’s nothing to get excited about.
The gap continues. We’ve got a long stretch of no real surf on offer. Even into the first week of August, it’s flat. On Saturday the 1st, there’s zero swell. On Sunday the 2nd, we finally see a 2ft SW swell with a 13-second period and moderate energy (94), but the afternoon wind turns cross-on, so it’s choppy again.
The real stand-out, and I mean the only one worth paddling out for, is Monday afternoon the 3rd of August. We’ve got a 2ft SW swell with a long 18-second period, combined energy of 263 (moderate), and the wind is a clean cross-off from the SW at 15 km/h. The water is clean. It’s surfable. But don’t get your hopes up for a classic – the waves are ordinary, not pumping. Still, if you’re desperate, that’s your window.
This break is fairly consistent, so a run this poor is a bit of a surprise, but it happens. Forecasts change. Keep your eyes peeled.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 17 | SW 16 | W 5 | SW 16 | SW 13 | W 5 | W 13 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 26 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 21 | W 6 | SW 21 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 235 | 211 | 7 | 201 | 84 | 7 | 3 | 39 | 30 | 28 | 131 | 36 | 105 | 131 | 33 | 43 | 368 | 36 | 355 | 546 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:26PM1.87m | 2:15AM1.47m | 3:13PM1.88m | 3:50AM1.29m | 4:03PM1.89m | 6:02AM1.24m | 4:56PM1.91m | 7:48AM1.30m | 5:49PM1.95m | 8:41AM1.38m | 6:37PM2.01m | 9:13AM1.43m | 7:20PM2.08m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:48PM0.94m | 8:14AM0.79m | 10:19PM0.87m | 8:52AM0.98m | 11:46PM0.76m | 9:41AM1.13m | 00:52AM0.62m | 10:52AM1.23m | 1:41AM0.50m | 12:05PM1.26m | 2:20AM0.39m | 1:01PM1.24m | 2:54AM0.31m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | S 12 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 7 | W 6 | S 13 | W 7 | S 13 | S 13 | W 6 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 235 | 98 | 193 | 201 | 175 | 397 | 353 | 291 | 186 | 183 | 131 | 36 | 117 | 131 | 222 | 212 | 61 | 213 | 150 | 546 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | SW 16 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 13 | W 5 | SSE 13 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 12 | W 6 | SW 21 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 112 | 211 | 85 | 88 | 84 | 7 | 16 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 178 | 168 | 105 | 115 | 33 | 22 | 208 | 36 | 355 | 161 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 15 | W 4 | W 5 | SSW 20 | S 10 | SSE 14 | W 13 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | S 14 | SSE 13 | S 13 | SW 26 | S 12 | SSW 24 | SSW 24 | SW 21 | SSW 21 | W 6 | W 6 |
| kJ | 17 | 6 | 7 | 37 | 51 | 20 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 16 | 54 | 126 | 105 | 75 | 368 | 217 | 368 | 404 | 16 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | — | — | W 4 | — | — | W 4 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 5 | — | — | 4 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 28 | — | — | 50 | — | — | 43 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 117 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 62 | 1 | 2 | 67 | 0 | 117 | 72 | 0 | 1 | 117 | 0 | 2 | 117 | 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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