Indicators Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Cruz, USA)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Indicators Surf Guide

Indicators in Santa Cruz is a sheltered point break that has reasonably consistent surf. Winter is the optimum time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the east northeast with some shelter here from northwest winds. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the optimum swell angle is from the west northwest. Often Crowded. Overcrowding can even make surfing hazardous.

Indicators Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Point	2	fairly consistent	14.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Indicators:

The best conditions reported for surf at Indicators occur when a West-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Indicators (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Indicators with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 24% of the time in January while 47% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 29% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

24%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

47%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

29%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Indicators Location Map

Interactive Indicators surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Indicators is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in USA, 46 km (29 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Indicators is Moffett Federal Afld (Mountain View) Airport (NUQ), also in USA, 52 km (32 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Indicators Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 09:19 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	8AM	11AM	2PM	5PM
Wave (m)	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	13	12	12	12
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	on	cross- on

Tides at Indicators

Current tide and informaton

For Santa Cruz, California, 2 km from Indicators.

Next High Water: 03:55pm | 1.08m

Next Low Water: 06:22pm | 1.05m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Indicators Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.2 °C) at Indicators is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (14.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.