
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 21s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 21s period, SSW swell with 952 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 21s 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 (Jul 25) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 21s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicators in the next 16 days are 1.0m 21s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 8AM. 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 21s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 21s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright gang, Rusty here again. We’ve got a 16-day stretch that’s mostly a struggle. It’s a long run of marginal conditions, with the wind and swell fighting each other most days. The pattern is small, soft swells and afternoon chop, so don’t get your hopes up too high.
The only break we’re looking at is Indicators – a sheltered point for the advanced crowd. It’s fairly consistent, and the water is sitting at 61°F, which is about 4°F warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s noticeably warm.
First chance comes Friday, July 24th, early morning. Glassy conditions with a light offshore wind from the west at 3 mph. Swell is tiny – only 2 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 24 seconds. That’s real groundswell, but energy is weak (678). The long period means it’ll be super consistent but small and slow. The afternoons are all poor with cross-onshore wind, so skip those.
This repeats through Saturday and Sunday – clean mornings with sub-3 ft swell, then blown out. The swell nudges up to 3 ft by Sunday the 26th, and energy creeps into moderate territory (869). Period drops to 19 seconds, still quality. Just never enough size.
Into the last week of July, swell builds. Monday the 27th morning has 4 ft at 18 seconds, energy 926. Clean wind, but afternoon chop ruins it. Tuesday the 28th morning gets 4 ft with 1060 energy – more push. By Wednesday the 29th, period drops to 16 seconds and energy spikes to 1313 – the strongest for that SSW run. Still, only the morning window is any good.
Then on Friday, July 31st, the swell swings to the WNW and period crashes to 8 seconds – short-period windswell. Height goes up to 5 ft in the morning, but with only 705 energy, it’s lumpy and weak. Wind is offshore, so it’s clean on the face but not quality. This carries into the first weekend of August, with similar 5 ft to 6 ft short-period swell, clean but uninspiring.
The standout is Tuesday, August 4th, in the morning. Glassy calm – wind from the southwest at 3 mph, dead flat. Swell is 5 ft from the WNW at 9 seconds, energy 436. Not a classic, but glassy conditions on a point break make it your cleanest session of the whole run.
After August 6th, it fades fast. Swell drops to 1 ft by the 8th, and the second week is a total blank. Nothing worth chasing from the 7th onward.
So, keep an eye on the early mornings from July 24th through the 29th for small, clean waves, and mark Tuesday morning, August 4th – that glassy 5 ft session is your best bet. The rest? Maybe have a lie-in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 24 | SSW 24 | SSW 22 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
487 | 487 | 412 | 718 | 578 | 790 | 782 | 566 | 491 | 785 | 876 | 580 | 751 | 877 | 619 | 604 | 597 | 475 | 435 | 322 | 371 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:17AM1.17m | 7:13PM1.63m | 10:57AM1.24m | 8:00PM1.66m | 11:30AM1.27m | 8:44PM1.68m | 11:58AM1.27m | 9:25PM1.69m | 12:20PM1.26m | 10:03PM1.69m | 12:40PM1.26m | 10:40PM1.66m | 12:58PM1.27m | 11:17PM1.59m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:30PM1.03m | 3:00AM0.01m | 2:26PM1.05m | 3:39AM-0.06m | 3:12PM1.03m | 4:14AM-0.11m | 3:50PM1.00m | 4:46AM-0.15m | 4:25PM0.95m | 5:15AM-0.17m | 4:57PM0.89m | 5:41AM-0.16m | 5:30PM0.83m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
— | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:16 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 27 | 21 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 17 |
Feels °C | 20 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 24 | SSW 24 | SSW 22 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | WNW 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 |
487 | 487 | 412 | 718 | 578 | 790 | 782 | 566 | 491 | 785 | 876 | 213 | 751 | 877 | 300 | 264 | 597 | 280 | 435 | 322 | 197 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 9 | SSW 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 |
154 | 125 | 103 | 96 | 58 | 56 | 46 | 46 | 40 | 23 | 46 | 580 | 35 | 33 | 619 | 604 | 3 | 475 | 21 | 41 | 305 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SSW 22 | NW 11 | — | SSW 12 | S 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSE 17 | S 16 | SSE 15 | S 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 |
132 | 98 | 66 | 41 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 91 | 5 | — | 28 | 2 | 33 | 18 | 30 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 81 | 41 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | NW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 5 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 |
37 | 70 | 44 | 40 | 51 | 41 | 41 | 76 | 106 | 113 | 165 | 375 | 274 | 330 | 507 | 445 | 347 | — | 215 | 260 | 371 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 86 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.










