
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SSW swell with 627 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s 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 Tuesday (Aug 11) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 9s. 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 Saturday (Aug 15) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 13s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on this one.
Look, I'm gonna shoot straight with you. We've got a 16-day window for Indicators (Indicators), and honestly, it's a bit of a tough run. This is a sheltered point break, so it needs a very specific window from the WNW to get anything going, and we're just not seeing that. The whole stretch is a real test of patience.
The water is sitting at 61°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing your nuts off while you're waiting.
We kick off on Tuesday, 11th August, with a tiny 3 ft swell from the WNW, but it's a cross-on breeze all day, and the energy is weak (258). The report says poor surf conditions, and I'm not arguing. That sets the tone for the next few days. Wednesday and Thursday are the same story – small, weak, messy. The swell tries to pick up a little, but it's just not cooperating.
Friday, 14th August, sees the swell go a bit longer, up to 18 seconds, but the height drops to 2 ft. The energy is moderate (472), but the wind is all over the shop. Saturday morning on the 15th gives us a flicker – a 3 ft swell from the SSW, light offshore wind, and the energy is starting to ramp up (558). It's a marginal call, but it's the best we've seen. The SSW direction is way off the optimum WNW for this spot, so it's going to be a frustrating, weak wave.
Sunday, 16th, is almost the same story, a little bigger at 4 ft and the energy is strong (682) for the area, but it's still not the right direction. This is the best of a bad bunch, but still a "marginal" call. The wind is good, though, with that light offshore.
From there, it just fades. We get a few more mornings with light offshore breeze and tiny 3 ft to 3 ft swell, but it's all very ordinary. The real potential highlight comes right at the end of the forecast period, on Sunday, 23rd August. The swell is small, only 2 ft, from the SSW again, but the wind goes glassy in the afternoon. For a point break, that's a huge positive. The energy is weak (221), but if you're on a longboard, you might get the cleanest, most frustrating slides of the fortnight.
Honestly, if you're looking for a proper paddle, this is a tough ask. The swell is small, the direction is wrong, and the energy is low. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is maybe the Sunday morning of the 16th for the slightly bigger, cleaner swell, or the glassy Sunday afternoon of the 23rd for a longboard cruise. For a sheltered point, the setup looks more interesting for a kite than a surfboard given the wind and swell directions.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 | WNW 9 | SSW 18 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
165 | 151 | 273 | 217 | 181 | 226 | 164 | 212 | 209 | 142 | 254 | 280 | 512 | 376 | 620 | 604 | 461 | 431 | 301 | 330 | 236 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:21AM1.38m | 9:49PM1.93m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:47PM0.78m | 4:45AM-0.38m | 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 | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | 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 |
165 | 151 | 154 | 217 | 181 | 153 | 149 | 157 | 137 | 81 | 78 | 186 | 512 | 376 | 620 | 604 | 461 | 431 | 301 | 330 | 236 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 10 | WNW 9 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 |
86 | 116 | 273 | 119 | 175 | 226 | 164 | 212 | 209 | 142 | 140 | 46 | 36 | 120 | 110 | 78 | 8 | 50 | 114 | 96 | 51 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WNW 10 | S 9 | S 12 | S 10 | W 12 | SW 10 | WNW 9 | S 10 | WNW 9 |
93 | 124 | 28 | 28 | 98 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 125 | 254 | 280 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 35 | 28 | 7 | 26 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 | NW 6 | — | WNW 10 | NW 6 | — | WNW 9 | NW 3 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | 49 | — | 75 | 16 | — | 45 | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 79 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 144 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 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.











