
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, NW swell with 467 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 13s 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 Monday (Jul 13) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 8AM. 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+) | 8PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here, and I've gotta be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. The good news is there's a glimmer of hope on the distant horizon, and the water is something special for July. At Indicators, the water temp is sitting at 60°, which is a massive 4° warmer than usual – that's a real treat for this time of year. But the surf? For the first week and a half, it's a frustrating run of small, weak, and messy conditions.
Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are a write-off. Swell is tiny, around 2 ft to 2 ft, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or light. Tuesday afternoon shows a slight improvement with a 4 ft swell from the NW and glassy conditions, but the period is a short 8 seconds, so the waves will be weak and fat. The energy is still moderate (339), and it's only rated as "surfable but very ordinary." Not worth paddling out for.
Wednesday the 15th through to the morning of Friday the 17th is more of the same – small, short-period swell from the WNW and SW, with light onshore winds. The combined energy sits between 364 and 584, which is moderate, but the quality is poor. Thursday the 16th afternoon sees a bump to 6 ft, but the wind swings cross-onshore at 12 mph, making it choppy and ugly. This setup is way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The weekend of the 19th and 20th offers a little more consistency, but the swell is still small at 2 ft to 3 ft. The wind is light and onshore, and the period stretches to 17 seconds, which is a long period groundswell. That means more energy in the water, but at a point break like Indicators, which is sheltered and exposed to WNW, the swell direction is all wrong. The energy is moderate (394 to 640), but with the wind onshore, it's still a no-go.
Now, the real standout appears in the second week, but it's a long way off. On Saturday the 25th of July, we see a pulse of WNW swell hitting 4 ft in the morning, building to 5 ft in the afternoon. The period is 9 to 10 seconds, which is a solid short-period groundswell. The energy climbs to 574 in the afternoon, which is strong. More importantly, the wind is light and onshore, so it should be clean. This is the best on offer, but it's still marginal.
Then, on Sunday the 26th of July, the swell peaks. Morning sees 6 ft from the WNW with a 10-second period, and the energy jumps to 842 – solid moderate to strong. The wind is light and onshore, so conditions should be glassy. This is your best chance. The swell is a bit big for beginners at 6 ft, and it's a bit steep for the beach break, but for a point like Indicators, with the right direction, it could produce some fun lines. The afternoon holds at 5 ft, still clean.
After that, Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th drop back down to 3 ft to 3 ft, with a long period SSW swell, but the wind stays light and onshore. The energy is high (854 in the morning), but the swell direction is wrong, and the quality is poor.
So, to sum it up: the first 12 days are a blank run. The only real standouts are Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of July, with the Sunday morning looking the best: 6 ft WNW swell, 10-second period, and light offshore wind. That's your window. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it’s a long way out, but it’s the only real hope we've got.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 17 | W 16 | SW 17 | SW 18 | W 16 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
187 | 184 | 127 | 102 | 136 | 217 | 142 | 215 | 456 | 294 | 356 | 334 | 181 | 215 | 190 | 309 | 323 | 177 | 288 | 386 | 271 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:51AM1.33m | 9:52PM2.02m | 12:31PM1.37m | 10:45PM1.98m | 1:10PM1.40m | 11:37PM1.87m | 1:48PM1.42m | 00:29AM1.70m | 2:25PM1.45m | 1:22AM1.49m | 3:02PM1.49m | 2:20AM1.26m | 3:39PM1.52m | 3:30AM1.06m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:46PM0.93m | 5:03AM-0.54m | 4:42PM0.86m | 5:48AM-0.51m | 5:38PM0.79m | 6:32AM-0.41m | 6:37PM0.71m | 7:14AM-0.26m | 7:39PM0.64m | 7:55AM-0.06m | 8:46PM0.56m | 8:35AM0.17m | 9:59PM0.48m | ||||||||
5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | |
— | 8:28 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 17 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 12 | WNW 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | WNW 8 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 18 | W 17 | W 17 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSW 17 | WNW 8 |
157 | 132 | 117 | 98 | 85 | 138 | 120 | 50 | 237 | 125 | 122 | 167 | 151 | 215 | 73 | 56 | 263 | 54 | 70 | 386 | 116 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 14 | SW 18 | SW 13 | W 13 | SW 16 | WNW 19 | WNW 19 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 14 | W 16 | SW 17 | SW 18 | W 16 | SW 17 | W 15 | SW 16 |
187 | 184 | 127 | 102 | 37 | 152 | 40 | 55 | 125 | 123 | 120 | 76 | 181 | 74 | 190 | 309 | 323 | 177 | 288 | 163 | 271 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | W 14 | SW 19 | W 14 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | W 13 | SW 17 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | W 12 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 15 | W 16 | SW 13 | SW 16 | W 15 | SSE 13 | S 13 |
51 | 15 | 96 | 36 | 81 | 61 | 31 | 44 | 47 | 28 | 26 | 88 | 74 | 84 | 104 | 186 | 44 | 65 | 172 | 56 | 84 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | — | WNW 7 | — | — | WNW 8 | — |
— | — | — | — | 136 | 217 | 142 | 215 | 456 | 294 | 356 | 334 | 178 | 160 | 153 | — | 59 | — | — | 91 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 14 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169 | 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.










