Surf Forecasts:
Indicator surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SW swell with 199 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 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 Saturday (Sep 12) 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 0.6m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 17s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
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 headin’ our way for this reef and point spot – it’s a fairly consistent break that needs a good NW swell direction to really fire, and the wind’s gotta cooperate from the SE to keep things clean. I gotta level with you: the first week and a half is basically a dud. Tiny, gutless waves with no punch. The first proper opportunity shows up on Saturday the 19th of September, but it’s still pretty ordinary.
Saturday the 19th of September – The morning edges up a little. Swell around 2ft from the SW with a long period of 18 seconds – proper groundswell, which suits this setup. Wind is glassy, so the surface is smooth, but the combined wave energy is only moderate at 235. It’s surfable, not special. Afternoon gets messy with a cross-onshore wind, so forget it.
Sunday the 20th of September – This is the pick of the forecast. Same 2ft swell from the SW, 18-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the SSE at 6 mph. Clean, well-defined waves. The combined energy climbs to 311 (moderate), and the call is *good surf conditions*. This is your session – get out early. Afternoon cross-onshore wind blows it out again.
Monday the 21st of September – Another solid morning. Swell a touch bigger at 2ft from the SW, 17-second period, with a light SSE offshore at 6 mph. Combined energy 322 (moderate) – clean again for the dawn crew. Not as crisp as Sunday but a fine backup. Afternoon’s a write-off.
The rest of the second week falls apart. Small, weak swells with poor onshore or cross-onshore wind. By Friday the 25th, swell drops to 1ft and barely registers. There’s a last gasp on Sunday the 27th of September morning with 1ft from the SW, light cross-offshore breeze, and combined energy of 128 – you can paddle out but don’t expect much. Crowds are *sometimes* an issue, so expect a few locals on the clean mornings.
Summary: Your two real windows are Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st of September, mornings. The rest is flat, chopped up, or both. Water temp is 73°F – that’s about 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so leave the thick rubber at home.
Keep your eyes on the horizon.
– Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 21°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 19°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 19 | W 7 | W 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 5 | W 5 | SW 14 | SW 21 | SW 21 | W 5 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 103 | 100 | 96 | 63 | 35 | 167 | 48 | 108 | 106 | 90 | 88 | 39 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 71 | 72 | 15 | 184 | 184 | 131 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | glassy | off | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:38AM2.08m | 10:56PM1.86m | 11:06AM2.08m | 11:41PM1.67m | 11:34AM2.05m | 00:31AM1.48m | 12:04PM1.98m | 1:39AM1.31m | 12:38PM1.89m | 4:30AM1.23m | 1:26PM1.80m | 2:47PM1.73m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 4:53PM0.50m | 4:50AM0.63m | 5:38PM0.51m | 5:14AM0.81m | 6:26PM0.56m | 5:34AM0.98m | 7:22PM0.64m | 5:47AM1.12m | 8:36PM0.71m | 10:17PM0.72m | 11:43PM0.65m | ||||||||||
 | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:55 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | SW 14 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 9 | W 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | W 6 |
| kJ | 21 | 100 | 63 | 48 | 33 | 167 | 47 | 32 | 19 | 17 | 40 | 20 | 200 | 100 | 86 | 144 | 74 | 121 | 184 | 184 | 61 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | W 10 | SW 13 | W 10 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 5 | SW 15 | W 5 | SW 21 | SW 14 | SW 21 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 103 | 35 | 96 | 63 | 35 | 44 | 17 | 108 | 106 | 90 | 88 | 39 | 5 | 60 | 5 | 71 | 32 | 110 | 69 | 61 | 131 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | S 10 | WSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | W 10 | W 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 20 | SSW 15 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 14 | S 10 | SW 21 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 37 | 7 | 15 | 58 | 45 | 57 | 48 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 75 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 32 | 7 | 72 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 59 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | ESE 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | W 4 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | — |
| kJ | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 3 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 34 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 117 | 14 | 166 | 117 | 15 | 62 | 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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