Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 21 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), 20s period, SW swell with 552 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period with W 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 (Jul 23) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 7s 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 0.9m 20s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 16s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 24s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 20s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicator over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s take a look at what’s coming our way.
Right now, the swell window is pretty much shut. We’ve got a long run of flat to tiny waves and messy onshore wind that will keep the surfboard in the bag until next week. From Tuesday the 21st of July right through to Sunday the 26th of July, you’re looking at little bump from the west, mostly under 2ft, with short choppy periods and a lot of cross-on wind. Not worth wetting a wetsuit for.
Monday the 27th of July is where it finally wakes up. The morning brings a clean, light offshore from the south-southwest and a solid pulse of long-period southwest groundswell. Swell height hits 3ft with a period of 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, meaning clean lines and plenty of push. The combined wave energy is strong at 578, so you’ll feel it. This is the standout of the whole 16-day window. The break here is a reef and point setup (“Indicator”), which is ideal for that long-period stuff; it won’t just close out like a beach break might. It’s fairly consistent, and with the light wind, it’s going to be glassy and clean in the morning. Water temp is about average for July, no big anomalies. Crowds are possible here – it’s a spot that can get busy – so get in early.
Monday afternoon drifts into a gentle cross-shore wind and the quality drops off a touch, but the swell energy stays pretty strong.
After that, we hit another quiet patch. Tuesday the 28th of July through Saturday the 1st of August sees fading swell and a mix of offshore and cross-off breezes, but the heights barely get above 3ft and the period drops right back. Nothing to get excited about.
Then there’s one last flicker on Tuesday the 4th of August morning. The swell comes from the southwest again, 2ft but with a period of 16 seconds – another groundswell pulse. Combined energy is moderate at 108, and the wind is light and cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. The waves will be small but lined up. Not a classic, but if you’ve been waiting over a week, it’ll feel like a gift.
Overall, Monday the 27th of July morning is the one to mark on your calendar. Don’t expect much else in this stretch – the ocean’s on a long sleep.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | W 3 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | W 7 | W 7 | SW 26 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 21 | W 6 | SW 21 | SW 20 | W 6 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 7 | W 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 69 | 189 | 89 | 105 | 120 | 41 | 29 | 368 | 26 | 355 | 552 | 26 | 388 | 455 | 460 | 22 | 50 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | off | off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 9:40AM1.48m | 8:00PM2.16m | 10:04AM1.51m | 8:36PM2.22m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 1:45PM1.20m | 3:26AM0.24m | 2:23PM1.14m | 3:56AM0.20m | |||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
Feels °C | 23 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 7 | W 7 | SSW 13 | W 7 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 12 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 |
| kJ | 481 | 199 | 291 | 239 | 183 | 189 | 89 | 102 | 120 | 168 | 153 | 368 | 404 | 111 | 552 | 384 | 388 | 455 | 460 | 610 | 364 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 12 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 12 | SW 21 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | W 6 | SSW 11 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 |
| kJ | 20 | 123 | 48 | 26 | 22 | 180 | 108 | 73 | 178 | 41 | 29 | 27 | 117 | 355 | 164 | 109 | 18 | 81 | 28 | 22 | 46 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 13 | SSE 13 | S 13 | SSE 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 26 | SSW 26 | SSW 24 | SSW 24 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 11 | W 6 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 4 | 16 | 12 | 50 | 39 | 130 | 110 | 105 | 66 | 368 | 217 | 66 | 26 | 18 | 18 | 26 | 66 | 18 | 60 | 46 | 50 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 3 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | 10 | 15 | 69 | — | — | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 166 | 148 | 31 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 62 | 72 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 0 | 2 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Los Angeles County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest