
Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 17s period, SSW swell with 563 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s 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 (Aug 08) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m 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 1.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) 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 0.5m 13s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and it’s been a quiet stretch lately. We’re looking at a 16-day window that starts off pretty flat and grim. Honestly, the first recommendation doesn’t pop up until the morning of Saturday, August 17th, so we’ve got over a week of either no surf or conditions that are just too messy to bother with. For the spots that do break, it’s mostly a mix of weak, cross-onshore slop and poor-quality waves that wouldn’t get a local out of bed. But hey, it’s not always grim, and the forecast can turn.
After a long, dull run, the best chance we get in this whole window is a brief moment on Monday morning, August 17th. This is the only real standout in the outlook. The swell is a clean 3 ft from the SSW, with a long period of 14 seconds. The real kicker here is the wind: it’s glassy with a light breeze from the WSW. That’s about as perfect as it gets for a clean surface. The water is a touch warmer than normal, sitting around 61°F with a positive anomaly of 3°F – it’s a nice change to feel that warmth on a glassy morning. The combined swell energy is a moderate (437), so there’s enough push to get into a few waves. For a spot that’s fairly consistent like this, seeing a morning like that after a long drought is a real treat, but don’t expect a crowd-free session here – it’s often busy.
Looking further out, the second week offers a few more chances, but nothing to shout about until the very end. On Thursday, August 20th, the afternoon brings a bigger pulse of 5 ft from the WNW with a short period of 10 seconds. The energy picks up strong (725), but the wind is a light cross-onshore from the W. It’s messy, but the size is there for the more experienced crew. Then on Friday, August 21st, the morning session is glassy again with a 3 ft WNW swell, but the energy is much weaker (346). It’s a fickle window.
The final day of the forecast, Sunday, August 23rd, pushes things up to 6 ft from the WNW with a short period of 8 seconds and a strong energy reading (673). But the wind is onshore, and the waves will be a chopped-up mess. It’s a big size for the beach breaks, but the quality is gone. For the majority of this period, the wind is light and mostly cross-onshore, and the waves are small and weak. There’s a long gap of poor conditions, but that glassy Monday morning is the one to circle on the calendar. Keep your eyes peeled, because it tends not to stay poor for long.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SSW 18 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | WNW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
318 | 168 | 291 | 278 | 284 | 292 | 292 | 199 | 137 | 190 | 154 | 273 | 222 | 222 | 226 | 226 | 160 | 209 | 214 | 184 | 249 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:30AM1.17m | 6:48PM1.87m | 10:10AM1.27m | 7:53PM1.92m | 10:46AM1.34m | 8:53PM1.95m | 11:21AM1.38m | 9:49PM1.93m | 11:54AM1.42m | 10:41PM1.85m | 12:27PM1.46m | 11:32PM1.72m | 12:58PM1.49m | 00:22AM1.55m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:33PM1.05m | 2:23AM-0.21m | 1:50PM1.01m | 3:15AM-0.32m | 2:52PM0.91m | 4:02AM-0.38m | 3:47PM0.78m | 4:45AM-0.38m | 4:38PM0.65m | 5:25AM-0.30m | 5:30PM0.54m | 6:03AM-0.17m | 6:21PM0.45m | ||||||||
6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | SSW 17 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 |
57 | 168 | 72 | 278 | 284 | 292 | 292 | 199 | 137 | 190 | 154 | 165 | 222 | 222 | 194 | 226 | 151 | 112 | 75 | 48 | 188 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 |
318 | 56 | 291 | 259 | 169 | 167 | 160 | 143 | 101 | 56 | 116 | 273 | 117 | 175 | 226 | 164 | 160 | 209 | 138 | 140 | 249 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | W 13 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | WNW 8 |
36 | 14 | 82 | 36 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 98 | 96 | 93 | 124 | 25 | 28 | 98 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 34 | 214 | 184 | 47 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 4 | S 4 | S 4 | — |
— | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 144 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 313 | 0 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 144 | 0 | 79 | 304 | 26 | 26 | 125 | 14 | 37 | 37 | 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.











