Indicators Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it.

The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a stretch of days where the swell is just not doing us any favors, with a lot of onshore wind messing up what little energy is around. We start off on Monday the 10th, but honestly, it’s not worth getting too excited about. We’re looking at a weak 4ft of WNW swell, with a period of 9 seconds, being pushed by a light cross-onshore wind. The energy is weak, sitting at 439, and it just doesn’t have enough push to make anything good. It’s what I’d call a marginal day at best. The water temp anomaly is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The rest of the week, from Tuesday the 11th through Thursday the 13th, is pretty much a write-off. The swell stays small, right around the 3ft to 4ft mark from the WNW, but the wind is cross-onshore and a bit stronger, just chopping up the surface. We’re looking at poor conditions, with the energy output staying weak to moderate but nothing that’s going to make you paddle out. These are days to do something else.

Then, on Friday the 14th, we see a shift. The direction swings around to the SSW, and the period jumps way up to 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, even if the height is only 2ft. The energy reading of 459 is still weak, but that long period means there is some push to it. The issue is it’s super small, and the winds are still not great. It’s marginal, at best. This long-period, small swell is better suited for a spot that can focus it, like a point or reef, but with this size, it’s hard to get too excited.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th offer a little more size, with 3ft of that SSW groundswell, but the period drops slightly to 16 seconds. Still long, still a groundswell. The mornings have light cross-onshore winds, which is something, but the afternoon winds swing onshore. The energy is kicking up into the moderate range, around 550, but the conditions are holding it back from being anything more than a maybe.

Monday the 17th is interesting. The morning has a 3ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and the wind is almost non-existent, right onshore but only 3 mph. Energy is up to 780, which is the strongest we’ve seen. It’s just a marginal forecast, but if you can find a break that handles that direction, there could be a few fun ones. The afternoon though, the wind picks up from the NW at 9 mph and messes it up.

The rest of that week, from Tuesday the 18th onward, we just kind of fade out. The size drops, the periods stay long, but the energy weakens. There’s nothing that’s going to get your heart racing. It’s a lot of poor or marginal forecasts. We’re in the doldrums. There are a few mornings with light winds, but the swell just isn’t there.

The one bright spot in the whole run looks like Monday the 17th. That’s over a week away, so don’t book the day off work yet, but it’s the best combination of size and energy we see in the whole window. It’s promising, but a long-range call, so treat it with a bit of caution.

For our spot, “Indicators” is a point break that likes the WNW swell direction, which is what we see during the early part of the week. It’s fairly consistent and an advanced wave, but the small, short-period WNW swell combined with the cross-onshore winds just doesn't do it for us. Later in the week, when the swell goes SSW, it’s far off its optimum direction. That spot is sheltered, so it can still pick up some of that long-period energy, but it’s not ideal. It’s not a break you’re going to want to be at unless the conditions are right. The crowd factor is listed as “often,” so when it’s good, you won’t be alone. But with this outlook, I wouldn’t stress about the line-up.

There is a gap of poor surf from the 18th right through to the end of the window on the 25th. That's over a week of nada. It’s one of those stretches where the ocean just goes to sleep. Forecasts can change, but as it sits right now, you’re better off getting your fix early in the week.

Rusty

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