
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, NW swell with 574 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with WNW 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 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicators in the next 16 days are 1.9m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your patch. I’ve got to be straight with you: this 16-day run is a real struggle. There’s one specific break that might give you a short window of something to ride, but for the most part, it’s a flat, messy grind. The only spot that even gets a mention is Indicators, a point break that’s advanced-only and fairly consistent but sheltered from the only swell that’s coming. It’s a tough gig.
The problem is the swell direction. This break needs a WNW swell to work, and while we do see some pulses from that direction, the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of a clean wave. The water temp is about 58°F, which is normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t show up until Sunday, August 9th. The morning brings a 5ft swell from the WNW with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate (637). The wind is onshore though, so it’s gonna be lumpy. The afternoon picks up a bit more size, 6ft from the NW with a 9-second period, and the energy jumps to strong (1067). That’s a bit of grunt, but it’s still onshore wind. For a point break, that onshore wind will make it choppy and frustrating. At 6ft, it’s getting into expert-only territory for most.
The next morning, Monday, August 10th, has a similar 5ft WNW swell with a 9-second period and moderate energy (510), but the wind is still cross-onshore. It’s just not clean.
The best of a bad bunch looks like Sunday, August 9th afternoon. The swell is the biggest at 6ft from the NW, but the period is short at 9 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weak and fat. With onshore wind, it’s not going to be a memorable session. For a point break, the direction is okay, but the wind is a killer. It’s a real shame, because the energy is there, but the conditions just aren’t.
After that, the swell drops off and the wind stays crappy. We get a few days of smaller SSW swells, but they’re coming from the wrong direction for this sheltered spot. The best you could hope for is a marginal, frustrating paddle. The long period SSW swells (16-19 seconds) that show up later in the second week, like on Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th, are completely wrong for this break. They’ll just pass by.
Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The only real window is the Sunday afternoon, and even that’s a 2/10 at best. For a point break that needs clean conditions, this is a write-off. If you’re desperate, you might get a few lumpy ones, but I’d be saving my energy for a better forecast.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | WNW 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | WNW 10 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
125 | 96 | 72 | 72 | 95 | 84 | 84 | 80 | 139 | 210 | 157 | 318 | 168 | 291 | 342 | 574 | 362 | 326 | 273 | 273 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 3:08PM1.60m | 3:51AM0.99m | 3:50PM1.68m | 5:58AM0.94m | 4:42PM1.75m | 8:27AM1.04m | 5:42PM1.81m | 9:30AM1.17m | 6:48PM1.87m | 10:10AM1.27m | 7:53PM1.92m | 10:46AM1.34m | 8:53PM1.95m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:45PM0.38m | 8:31AM0.66m | 11:01PM0.25m | 9:18AM0.85m | 00:16AM0.10m | 10:49AM1.00m | 1:23AM-0.06m | 12:33PM1.05m | 2:23AM-0.21m | 1:50PM1.01m | 3:15AM-0.32m | 2:52PM0.91m | 4:02AM-0.38m | |||||||
— | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
8:12 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | WNW 8 | SW 13 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
125 | 96 | 39 | 43 | 54 | 42 | 84 | 28 | 84 | 210 | 157 | 318 | 168 | 204 | 342 | 312 | 362 | 326 | 273 | 273 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WNW 8 | SW 13 | SSW 19 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
36 | 35 | 72 | 72 | 95 | 84 | 28 | 45 | 139 | 82 | 83 | 55 | 56 | 291 | 259 | 169 | 167 | 160 | 143 | 101 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 11 | NW 10 | S 12 | SSW 20 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | WNW 8 | W 15 | WNW 8 | SW 12 | W 13 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 20 | SW 19 |
57 | 54 | 31 | 15 | 12 | 37 | 37 | 80 | 14 | 17 | 24 | 36 | 14 | 82 | 36 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 98 | 96 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 5 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | NW 9 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | 74 | — | — | 574 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 37 | 0 | 104 | 37 | 0 | 104 | 144 | 0 | 0 | 345 | 0 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 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.











