Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 10s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, SSW swell with 1,420 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Indicators in the next 16 days are 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks. Rusty here.
We’re starting slow, but the first real surf hits Friday morning, September 4th. Indicators is a sheltered point break that needs a WNW swell. That morning we’re looking at a 3ft SSW groundswell (18-second period, 745 combined energy) with glassy, clean conditions. Water temp is 60°, which is about average for this time of year. The waves will be clean and lined up – perfect for the advanced crew. Just know you’ll be sharing the water; crowds are often a thing here.
Friday afternoon goes to crap with a cross-onshore wind. Saturday and Sunday mornings are marginal with onshore breezes – nothing to write home about. From Monday, September 7th through mid-week, the swell drops off hard. Monday morning is glassy but flat, with only 2ft of weak, 6-second windswell (50 combined energy). That’s kite-foiling weather, not surfing.
Things pick up again Thursday, September 10th. The morning session has a glassy 3ft SSW groundswell (17-second period, 697 combined energy). Clean, fun, and worth a paddle out. Friday morning, September 11th, repeats the pattern – another glassy 3ft SSW swell (16-second period, 816 combined energy) with some rain showers. Solid, clean surf.
The true standout is Saturday morning, September 19th. We’ve got a 6ft WNW swell (9-second period, 730 combined energy) with glassy, offshore wind. That’s a perfect size – not too big for the average surfer, but plenty of power. The swell direction matches the break’s sweet spot, and the conditions are pristine. It’s two weeks out, so treat it as promising but not locked in yet. This is the one to watch.
The rest of the second week is mostly onshore junk or small, weak swells. The 18th of September looks like a mess with a 6ft WNW swell (9-second period, 795 combined energy) but a strong cross-onshore wind ruining it. That’s a kite-surfing afternoon.
So, your windows: Friday morning (Sept 4), Thursday morning (Sept 10), Friday morning (Sept 11), and Saturday morning (Sept 19). The 19th is the one to get stoked about.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 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) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | NW 7 | NW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 20 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 486 | 590 | 554 | 688 | 422 | 405 | 301 | 305 | 183 | 53 | 59 | 81 | 80 | 75 | 127 | 360 | 267 | 373 | 1420 | 492 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | off |
High Tide | 4:13PM1.73m | 8:23AM1.19m | 5:26PM1.74m | 9:03AM1.28m | 6:42PM1.76m | 9:36AM1.35m | 7:51PM1.77m | 10:09AM1.41m | 8:53PM1.76m | 10:40AM1.46m | 9:49PM1.71m | 11:09AM1.50m | 10:42PM1.62m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:55PM0.04m | 11:23AM1.11m | 1:07AM-0.05m | 12:56PM1.02m | 2:06AM-0.14m | 2:02PM0.87m | 2:56AM-0.20m | 2:57PM0.69m | 3:39AM-0.20m | 3:46PM0.51m | 4:18AM-0.13m | 4:32PM0.36m | 4:54AM-0.02m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | |  |  | |
 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 |
Temp °C | 22 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 18 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 26 | 22 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 9 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 486 | 590 | 554 | 688 | 422 | 405 | 301 | 78 | 352 | 511 | 586 | 459 | 356 | 392 | 305 | 188 | 284 | 263 | 1119 | 362 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 15 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | S 14 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | NW 11 |
| kJ | 166 | 130 | 120 | 41 | 55 | 73 | 187 | 305 | 46 | 53 | 59 | 80 | 60 | 37 | 19 | 360 | 267 | 373 | 368 | 30 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSE 12 | S 15 | S 14 | SW 11 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SW 9 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 20 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 | NW 9 | NW 10 | WSW 19 |
| kJ | 154 | 56 | 68 | 15 | 109 | 181 | 57 | 232 | 183 | 13 | 34 | 81 | 80 | 75 | 127 | 96 | 18 | 36 | 24 | 35 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | N 3 | — | NW 9 | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | — | S 6 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 |
| kJ | 5 | 2 | — | 198 | — | — | 147 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | — | 50 | 1420 | 492 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 345 | 0 | 104 | 345 | 0 | 121 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 0 | 104 | 144 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Cruz | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Indicators surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest