Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SSW swell with 620 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 15s 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 Friday (Aug 14) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 9s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at the coming weeks for the Indicators area. I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. The swell is tiny and the conditions are pretty ordinary for most of the run. The water's sitting at 60.8°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the rubber’s a bit easier to deal with on those long waits.
The main issue is the swell direction. The guidance tells us this spot is sheltered and really needs a good pulse from the WNW to work well, but we're mostly seeing long-period SSW groundswells rolling in. That's a bad combo. The combined swell energy is mostly in the moderate range, between 300 and 400 (like 390 on Wednesday morning), but it's just not wrapping in right. For the first week, from Wednesday the 12th through to the 21st, we're looking at a real dry spell. There are a few mornings with near-glass conditions, like Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th, where the wind is dead calm and it's glassy, but the swell is still only 3.0 ft from the SSW. That's poor surf, maybe a knee-high dribble for the logs. It's barely surfable, but you'd be out there just for the peace.
Now, we do have a couple of bits of light at the end of the tunnel. Saturday the 22nd is a write-off, but then Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th start to shift. The swell direction finally swings around to the WNW on Sunday afternoon, with a 3.6 ft swell and 7 second period, and the wind is light onshore. It's still poor quality, but it's a move in the right direction. The best chance we see in the whole 16-day window looks like Tuesday the 27th. The morning session shows a 2.3 ft SSW groundswell, but the energy is climbing to 524 – that's the highest we see. The wind is a light onshore breeze. It's still marginal, but it's the pick of a bad bunch. That's the one to circle.
Overall, this is not a period for scoring epic waves. It's a time for a longboard, a patient attitude, and maybe a kite if you've got one, because the wind is often onshore and the swell is small. For Indictors, it's a tough run. The forecast can always flip, but right now, there's no standout.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 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) | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 190 | 175 | 226 | 164 | 212 | 242 | 188 | 254 | 268 | 512 | 493 | 620 | 469 | 434 | 400 | 400 | 330 | 236 | 322 | 206 | 210 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:54AM1.42m | 10:41PM1.85m | 12:27PM1.46m | 11:32PM1.72m | 12:58PM1.49m | 00:22AM1.55m | 1:29PM1.52m | 1:14AM1.37m | 1:59PM1.54m | 2:12AM1.19m | 2:31PM1.55m | 3:25AM1.04m | 3:05PM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:38PM0.65m | 5:25AM-0.30m | 5:30PM0.54m | 6:03AM-0.17m | 6:21PM0.45m | 6:39AM0.01m | 7:13PM0.39m | 7:14AM0.23m | 8:08PM0.37m | 7:49AM0.46m | 9:09PM0.35m | 8:26AM0.69m | 10:17PM0.34m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 20 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 190 | 173 | 153 | 153 | 149 | 113 | 81 | 62 | 268 | 512 | 493 | 620 | 469 | 434 | 400 | 400 | 330 | 236 | 322 | 206 | 210 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | WNW 7 | S 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 172 | 175 | 226 | 164 | 212 | 242 | 188 | 140 | 249 | 26 | 14 | 85 | 57 | 8 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 14 | 156 | 51 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | WNW 7 | S 9 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 10 | W 12 | WNW 4 | S 10 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SSW 9 | W 13 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 28 | 98 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 125 | 254 | 40 | 6 | 17 | 24 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | — | WNW 10 | — | NW 5 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 4 | NW 4 | NW 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 114 | 146 | — | 75 | — | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 32 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 37 | 345 | 26 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Cruz | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Indicators 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 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.
Nearest