Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with 705 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 16s period with SSW 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 Saturday (Aug 22) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicators in the next 16 days are 1.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 13s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again.
We’re looking at a long stretch of small, mostly messy surf. The first few days are flat or no-go. The real window opens late next week with a couple of glassy mornings that could actually deliver.
Saturday 22 August afternoon: tiny 0.4m SSW groundswell with a long 17-second period, but cross-onshore wind and weak combined energy (250) – total flatness.
Sunday 23 August morning bumps to 1.2m from the NW with 7-second period and offshore wind, energy moderate at 471, but it’s only a marginal call. Afternoon drops to 0.9m with onshore wind – still no.
Monday 24 and Tuesday 25: tiny 0.5–0.6m SSW swells, long periods but onshore or cross-onshore breeze. Energy in the 200s – weak.
Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 stay poor. Thursday afternoon hits 1.3m WNW at 7 seconds but cross-onshore and short period – still poor.
Friday 28 August morning: 0.8m SSW with 17-second period and offshore wind, but marginal. Friday afternoon is the first spark – glassy, 0.6m SSW with 19-second period, energy jumps to 594. Small but clean. Water temp is 17°, which is 2° warmer than normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year.
Saturday 29 August morning is the true standout. Glassy, 1.1m SSW groundswell with 18-second period, combined energy 1186 – strong. Indicators is a point break, sheltered from the swell, needs WNW direction, so the SSW isn’t perfect, but clean conditions and solid energy make this the pick. It’s advanced, fairly consistent, and crowds are likely. For experts only.
Sunday 30 August morning marginal, but Sunday afternoon turns glassy again with 0.9m SSW and 15-second period, energy 681 – another good clean session.
Monday 31 August morning pushes 1.5m WNW at 8 seconds – bigger but short period and marginal. Afternoon hits 1.6m WNW at 7 seconds, still marginal, cross-onshore. Slop.
Tuesday 1 September morning: 1.8m NW at 8 seconds, energy 771 – strong but short period and onshore. That’s more for kite surfing than paddle surfing at a beach setup. Afternoon drops to 1.3m but still messy.
Wednesday 2 September morning: 1.7m NW at 8 seconds, energy 638 – marginal, onshore. Afternoon gets chopped by 20 km/h cross-onshore winds.
Thursday 3 September: smaller again, 0.7m SSW with 19-second period in the morning, but onshore. Afternoon sees 20 km/h cross-onshore ruining the 0.8m SSW at 20 seconds.
Friday 4 September morning: glassy again! 1.0m SSW with 18-second period, energy 799 – another strong, clean window. Afternoon turns onshore but morning is solid.
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September fade back to marginal, with 1–0.9m SSW swells and onshore or cross-onshore winds. Energy drops to the 400s and 300s.
Best bet: Saturday 29 August morning, glassy 1.1m SSW groundswell with strong energy. Second pick: Friday 4 September morning, also glassy with 1.0m SSW. Long periods mean these swells will wrap nicely at the point, but the break needs WNW direction, so expect it softer. Still, clean conditions make it worthwhile.
Patience – mostly flat or marginal, but those two mornings are the ones.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 17 | NW 7 | NW 7 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | NW 7 | SW 14 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 111 | 139 | 147 | 86 | 157 | 155 | 147 | 190 | 181 | 130 | 124 | 169 | 166 | 200 | 103 | 154 | 284 | 336 | 292 | 486 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 6:37PM1.55m | 10:24AM1.28m | 7:34PM1.58m | 10:46AM1.29m | 8:23PM1.62m | 11:04AM1.28m | 9:08PM1.62m | 11:20AM1.29m | 9:49PM1.61m | 11:36AM1.32m | 10:29PM1.57m | 11:54AM1.36m | 11:10PM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:29AM0.11m | 2:15PM1.02m | 3:08AM0.03m | 2:56PM0.94m | 3:42AM-0.03m | 3:32PM0.85m | 4:12AM-0.07m | 4:05PM0.75m | 4:38AM-0.07m | 4:37PM0.64m | 5:03AM-0.03m | 5:11PM0.53m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | 7:51 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 19 |
Feels °C | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSW 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 14 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | S 13 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | S 13 | WNW 7 | S 12 | S 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 19 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 33 | 105 | 86 | 51 | 89 | 69 | 150 | 51 | 181 | 87 | 124 | 169 | 173 | 142 | 101 | 98 | 162 | 154 | 292 | 142 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | S 14 | S 14 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | S 13 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 14 | SSW 16 | S 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 17 | SW 14 | SSW 18 |
| kJ | 65 | 98 | 144 | 83 | 106 | 153 | 147 | 190 | 126 | 130 | 84 | 107 | 166 | 158 | 103 | 103 | 138 | 336 | 89 | 486 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 11 | S 13 | W 17 | W 16 | W 15 | W 13 | W 13 | SW 15 | W 11 | SSW 18 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 111 | 50 | 94 | 84 | 157 | 155 | 12 | 92 | 23 | 45 | 38 | 55 | 55 | 107 | 38 | 131 | 61 | 32 | 31 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | NW 5 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 |
| kJ | 41 | 139 | 147 | 86 | — | — | 69 | — | 36 | 31 | 17 | 30 | 49 | 200 | 99 | 154 | 284 | 284 | 213 | 255 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 0 | 104 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 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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