
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SSW swell with 368 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 (Sep 15) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. 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 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 21st Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's cut through the data and talk about what this stretch actually looks like for us. It’s a bit of a slow burner, but there are a couple of windows where it could get really good.
The short-term is pretty flat and messy. We're looking at a few days of small, weak swell from the WNW, mostly under 5ft, but the wind is all over the place. Tuesday is a write-off, with a light onshore breeze making things mushy. Wednesday afternoon kicks up a bit but it’s straight onshore and lumpy. Don't even bother waxing up for that.
The first real glimmer of hope shows up early Thursday morning, the 17th. The swell drops way down to 2ft, but the direction swings around to the SSW, the period jumps all the way up to 16 seconds, and it’s dead glassy. This is that classic long-period groundswell where the ocean just feels different. It’s small, but there will be clean, workable shoulders. The energy reading is moderate at 427, but that long period is the key. It'll be a gutless wave though, really a longboard or a bigger board kind of morning. That same SSW energy with a slightly longer period sticks around for Friday and Saturday, but the afternoons get chopped up by a cross-onshore breeze. The mornings are the only window, and they're still small.
We get a bit of a breather and then the next real standout is the morning of Monday, the 21st. Still small at 3ft, but the period is back up to 17 seconds, the energy is building (587), and it’s glassy again. This is shaping up to be a cleaner, more powerful version of Thursday. Still not big, but the consistency and shape should be there.
Then things start to get interesting. Tuesday the 22nd sees the swell start to fill in a little more, 4ft from the WNW, but it's a shorter period of 9 seconds. Not as clean, but there's more push. But Wednesday morning, the 23rd, is another morning to circle on the calendar. Similar size (4ft), a decent 11-second period, and glassy conditions again. This looks like the pick of the first week for a combination of size and clean conditions.
After that, the middle part of the week falls apart. From the 24th to the 26th, we're looking at a stretch of poor, small, cross-onshore slop. Not worth your time.
The long-range stuff is where the real potential is. On Sunday the 27th, it’s still small but clean in the morning. Then, check this out: the morning of Monday the 28th has a pulse of 5ft NW groundswell, and the energy reading just explodes to 927, which is strong. It’s a little cross-on, but that’s a lot of juice.
But the true standout, the one that’s got me a little fired up, is the morning of Tuesday the 30th of September. We're looking at 6ft of WNW groundswell with an 11-second period and glassy, light wind conditions all the way. The energy reading is a massive 984. This is a proper, solid swell with clean conditions – the kind of day that makes all the flat spells worth it. This is one for the experts, though. At almost 6ft, it’s too big for the beginners and will be challenging for everyone else. The sea water is running at 62°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so you won't need a huge amount of rubber for this first stretch.
This spot, Indicators, is a sheltered point, so it handles these WNW swells well and gets that optimum direction. It’s fairly consistent, but expect some lulls between sets with that long period. It's an advanced wave, and with the crowds it often draws, it’ll be busy on those clean mornings, especially that last Tuesday. Just be aware it can be inconsistent, so pick your moments. Crowds are likely, especially on the good days. If you see waves over 8ft on the forecast, that’s strictly expert territory, and even then, be careful. For the most part, this isn't really a beginner's stretch, so if you're just starting out, maybe give it a miss until things calm down.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
290 | 192 | 149 | 217 | 297 | 128 | 198 | 138 | 121 | 251 | 251 | 184 | 211 | 319 | 252 | 319 | 330 | 309 | 360 | 364 | 368 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 1:24PM1.56m | 3:35AM1.08m | 1:57PM1.53m | 6:37AM1.08m | 2:40PM1.49m | 8:30AM1.18m | 3:35PM1.45m | 8:55AM1.24m | 4:44PM1.43m | 9:16AM1.27m | 5:57PM1.42m | 9:32AM1.28m | 7:02PM1.44m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:19PM0.21m | 7:34AM0.93m | 9:17PM0.26m | 8:04AM1.08m | 10:29PM0.30m | 10:31AM1.16m | 11:45PM0.29m | 12:10PM1.14m | 00:51AM0.23m | 1:12PM1.05m | 1:42AM0.17m | 1:58PM0.93m | 2:22AM0.11m | ||||||||
6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:10 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 15 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 19 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
290 | 192 | 149 | 217 | 161 | 100 | 113 | 138 | 44 | 120 | 251 | 51 | 45 | 319 | 252 | 319 | 330 | 207 | 227 | 203 | 299 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 21 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 |
127 | 64 | 94 | 144 | 168 | 128 | 198 | 117 | 121 | 44 | 116 | 184 | 211 | 58 | 53 | 29 | 49 | 309 | 360 | 364 | 368 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | WNW 13 | SSW 20 | SSW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | SW 21 | WNW 11 | SW 21 | SSW 19 | S 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 |
23 | 17 | 75 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 116 | 12 | 113 | 251 | 20 | 69 | 68 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 25 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 4 | — | NW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 297 | — | — | 80 | — | — | 29 | — | 108 | 48 | 93 | 96 | 173 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 104 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 328 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 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.










