Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 20s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 22 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period, WNW swell with 443 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Indicators this week:
The surf forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicators in the next 16 days are 1.3m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 22) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 20s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 22nd Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's talk waves. This forecast is a bit of a slow burn. There's plenty of flat, mushy stuff to sift through, but if you're patient, there are a couple of clear windows where things get interesting.
Your first real shot is on Monday the 21st in the morning. We're looking at a tiny but clean 3ft southwest swell, and the wind is dead glass. It's small, but it will be smooth. You can feel the energy starting to build, too. Not a day to be picky, but a solid way to get wet.
The better bet is Tuesday the 22nd, especially in the afternoon. The swell pushes up to 4ft from the WNW and goes totally glassy again. The period stretches out to 12 seconds, giving it some proper weight. This is looking like one of the better windows, maybe the best of the first week.
Wednesday the 23rd morning will still be clean and glassy with a 4ft WNW swell. It's a touch smaller, but conditions will be immaculate.
Now, for the real standout: you need to circle Sunday the 30th in the morning. We're looking at a solid 6ft WNW swell with glassy conditions. This is the biggest and cleanest swell of the whole forecast. It's a long way off, so treat it as a promising lead rather than a sure thing, but it has all the ingredients for a proper session. The period is a bit short, around 9 seconds, which could make the beach breaks a bit lumpy, but the points should be firing.
In between those days, especially the 24th through the 29th, we're back to small, onshore slop. There will be gaps of a few days where it's not really worth paddling out. Water temp is running a touch warm for this time of year, about 3° above average, sitting at 62°. It's pretty nice.
Stay patient, keep an eye on that last day, and you'll get yours.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 192 | 149 | 192 | 168 | 128 | 198 | 138 | 121 | 251 | 251 | 184 | 211 | 319 | 252 | 319 | 330 | 309 | 360 | 364 | 368 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:35AM1.08m | 1:57PM1.53m | 6:37AM1.08m | 2:40PM1.49m | 8:30AM1.18m | 3:35PM1.45m | 8:55AM1.24m | 4:44PM1.43m | 9:16AM1.27m | 5:57PM1.42m | 9:32AM1.28m | 7:02PM1.44m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:19PM0.21m | 7:34AM0.93m | 9:17PM0.26m | 8:04AM1.08m | 10:29PM0.30m | 10:31AM1.16m | 11:45PM0.29m | 12:10PM1.14m | 00:51AM0.23m | 1:12PM1.05m | 1:42AM0.17m | 1:58PM0.93m | 2:22AM0.11m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:10 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 15 |
Feels °C | 18 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 17 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | WNW 7 | SW 18 | WNW 7 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 192 | 149 | 192 | 168 | 92 | 80 | 82 | 46 | 120 | 251 | 184 | 75 | 319 | 131 | 319 | 330 | 249 | 286 | 237 | 255 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 |
| kJ | 64 | 94 | 144 | 14 | 128 | 198 | 138 | 121 | 251 | 116 | 69 | 211 | 58 | 252 | 29 | 29 | 309 | 360 | 364 | 368 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 20 | WNW 12 | SSW 11 | WNW 11 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 21 | WNW 8 | S 11 | NW 9 | SSW 13 | S 10 | SSW 13 | S 14 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | 14 | 75 | 14 | 12 | 24 | 116 | 117 | 113 | 26 | 20 | 13 | 68 | 7 | 53 | 16 | 6 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 157 | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | 23 | — | 99 | 229 | 183 | 242 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 125 | 7 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 104 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Cruz | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Indicators Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Indicators provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Indicators can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Indicators 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 (Indicators) 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 Indicators 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.
Indicators is 3 km (2 miles) from Santa Cruz. If you plan a vacation in Santa Cruz, look for hotels and other accommodation in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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