
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period, SSW swell with 1,066 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 (Sep 05) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicators in the next 16 days are 2.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 12s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming for this spot. It's a sheltered point that needs a solid west-northwest swell to get going, and honestly, we're in for a bit of a lean stretch.
We kick off with some frustrating looks on Saturday the 5th. There's a waist-to-chest high swell from the south-southwest, about 3.6 ft to 3.9 ft, with a nice long 16-second period – that's proper groundswell energy. But the wind is the issue. Saturday morning has a light offshore breeze from the west-southwest, giving us a little hope, but the afternoon gets choppy with a cross-on wind. The combined swell energy is moderate (718-886), but the conditions just aren't clean enough to make it worth the paddle out.
Sunday the 6th is more of the same, maybe a touch smaller, with that cross-on wind spoiling things again. Then we hit a long, dry spell. From Monday the 7th right through to the morning of Wednesday the 16th, it’s mostly tiny, weak surf. Most days you'll be looking at ankle-to-knee high waves with next to no energy – the combined swell energy often sits under 500, and frequently under 300. That’s barely a ripple. The water temperature is around 60.6°, which is about normal for this time of year.
There are a couple of glassy windows, like Monday morning the 7th and Wednesday morning the 9th, but the swell is just too small for this break to do anything with them. It’s a solid week and a half of nothing to write home about.
Now, here’s the glimmer of hope. Look ahead to Saturday the 19th of September. The morning shows a waist-high 4.3 ft swell from the west-northwest – which is exactly what this point needs. The wind is forecast to be glassy from the west-southwest, so the waves should be clean and smooth. The period is a short 9 seconds, so it won't have the punch of a long-period groundswell, but with moderate wave energy (521) and perfect wind, this is your standout session. It's over a week out, so keep an eye on it, but it's easily the best bet of the whole forecast.
The afternoon of the 19th turns a bit bumpy, and Sunday the 20th morning offers another glassy look but with much smaller waves. So, circle that Saturday the 19th. For a break that's inconsistent and fussy about direction, that's your window.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
554 | 688 | 422 | 405 | 305 | 309 | 183 | 41 | 51 | 152 | 198 | 94 | 148 | 360 | 361 | 446 | 1066 | 387 | 425 | 393 | 309 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 8:23AM1.19m | 5:26PM1.74m | 9:03AM1.28m | 6:42PM1.76m | 9:36AM1.35m | 7:51PM1.77m | 10:09AM1.41m | 8:53PM1.76m | 10:40AM1.46m | 9:49PM1.71m | 11:09AM1.50m | 10:42PM1.62m | 11:37AM1.54m | 11:33PM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:23AM1.11m | 1:07AM-0.05m | 12:56PM1.02m | 2:06AM-0.14m | 2:02PM0.87m | 2:56AM-0.20m | 2:57PM0.69m | 3:39AM-0.20m | 3:46PM0.51m | 4:18AM-0.13m | 4:32PM0.36m | 4:54AM-0.02m | 5:17PM0.24m | ||||||||
6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | |
— | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 26 | 31 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 17 |
Feels °C | 18 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 30 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 |
554 | 688 | 422 | 405 | 305 | 81 | 352 | 518 | 488 | 232 | 177 | 392 | 253 | 149 | 361 | 446 | 364 | 287 | 425 | 393 | 309 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 10 | S 15 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | S 14 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | WNW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | SW 6 |
96 | 41 | 55 | 84 | 179 | 309 | 61 | 41 | 51 | 80 | 62 | 37 | 20 | 360 | 207 | 373 | 56 | 387 | 107 | 47 | 21 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSE 12 | S 15 | S 14 | SW 11 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 9 | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 13 | NW 8 | WNW 12 | — | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | WSW 15 |
68 | 15 | 109 | 181 | 57 | 171 | 183 | 8 | 34 | 152 | 198 | 94 | 148 | 98 | 15 | 56 | — | 45 | 44 | 25 | 85 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 9 | NW 5 | — | WNW 7 | NW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | S 4 | S 6 | SSW 10 | — | — | — | — |
— | 198 | 19 | — | 90 | 128 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 75 | 12 | 66 | 1066 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 345 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 0 | 51 | 219 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 37 | 0 | 326 | 5 | 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.










