Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period, SSW swell with 236 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 4s 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 0.8m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 13s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty comin’ at ya. Let’s be real, folks – we’ve got a long stretch of quiet water ahead. It’s gonna be a serious patience game.
Looking at the whole 16-day picture, this is a pretty bleak run. We’ve got days on end of tiny, weak surf and poor conditions. The first real whisper of something worthwhile doesn’t even show up until Sunday the 23rd of August, and even that’s a marginal call. Mostly, we're looking at a lot of flat, clean but useless days. The only real blip of interest is right at the very end of the forecast.
Alright, let’s walk through it. The early part of the outlook, starting Thursday the 20th, is a total washout. Clean skies but the swell is tiny – 2 ft to 3 ft – and the wind is on it, making for poor surf. That’s going to be the story for a solid week, right up through most of the following Thursday. These are just empty, small days. Don't bother paddling out.
Now, Sunday the 23rd afternoon brings a bit of a pulse, but it’s not pretty. The swell bumps up to 4 ft, but it’s short-period, sloppy WNW groundswell. The combined wave energy is moderate at 451, but the wind's still on it. This is more of a “maybe if you’re desperate” scenario.
The real, and only, standout here is on Friday the 28th of August. There’s a jump in the morning. We get a 6 ft NW swell, and the energy rockets up to 1057 – that’s strong wave energy. This is the punch in the whole outlook. But, and it’s a big but, our only spot is Indicators. It's a point break, which is good for this kind of longer-period swell we'll see around that time. It's rated for advanced surfers because that 6 ft is getting big. If the wind stays light onshore as forecast, it won’t be perfect, but it’s the only game in town with any power. Crowds are likely here, especially on a Friday. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 61 °F, so you won't need the thickest wetsuit.
After that, we get a few more half-decent mornings around the 29th and 31st of August with some clean 3 ft to 7 ft waves, but the energy drops off and the wind gets messy. For the rest of the first week of September, we’re back to small, weak surf until the very last entry.
Finally, on Friday the 4th of September, we get a solid sign-off. The morning has a clean 3 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy is 590, which is a nice moderate push. And for the first time in ages, the wind goes glassy in the afternoon. That’s the kind of clean, long-period glass that makes a point break like Indicators shine. This is promising, but it's a long way off, so don't commit your soul to it just yet.
Bottom line: it’s a grind. Save your energy for the Friday the 28th of August blast, and maybe keep an eye on that glassy day on the 4th of September.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | NW 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
173 | 236 | 183 | 105 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 111 | 135 | 144 | 198 | 157 | 155 | 147 | 190 | 181 | 129 | 124 | 169 | 124 | 206 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 8:24AM1.07m | 4:35PM1.53m | 9:22AM1.18m | 5:34PM1.53m | 9:57AM1.25m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:39AM1.04m | 00:41AM0.26m | 12:15PM1.10m | 1:40AM0.19m | 1:24PM1.09m | 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 | |||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 17 |
Feels °C | 18 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 14 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | S 13 | WNW 6 | S 14 | WNW 7 |
173 | 236 | 183 | 91 | 65 | 99 | 99 | 65 | 77 | 110 | 119 | 105 | 103 | 150 | 52 | 181 | 129 | 86 | 45 | 260 | 131 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | S 14 | S 14 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 16 | S 15 | SW 16 | S 13 |
107 | 109 | 93 | 105 | 99 | 60 | 57 | 111 | 98 | 144 | 51 | 106 | 153 | 147 | 190 | 126 | 87 | 124 | 219 | 124 | 277 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | S 10 | WNW 10 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 11 | S 13 | WNW 7 | W 16 | W 4 | SSW 16 | W 13 | SSW 16 |
36 | 15 | 15 | 81 | 79 | 30 | 61 | 2 | 30 | 94 | 83 | 157 | 155 | 9 | 92 | 30 | 45 | 10 | 169 | 55 | 206 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | NW 4 | NW 5 | NW 7 | — | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 7 | NW 5 | NW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 7 |
40 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 32 | 15 | 16 | 65 | 135 | — | 198 | — | — | 95 | — | — | 28 | 25 | 75 | 82 | 188 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 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.











