Indicators Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and let me tell you, it’s a tough run of luck coming up. The next 16 days are mostly a write-off for proper paddle surfing around this spot. We’re looking at Indicators (United States), a point break that’s sheltered and takes a west-northwest swell to really get going. The water’s sitting a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 61°.

Right off the bat, Thursday the 20th kicks off a long, bleak stretch. The swell is tiny at 3 ft from the south-southwest, which is the opposite direction this break wants. The combined energy is moderate (379), but with poor surf conditions reported, there’s nothing to get excited about. Friday the 21st through to Sunday the 23rd are just grim – more small, wind-affected waves with energy dropping as low as 204 on Sunday morning. We finally see a pulse on Monday the 24th, with a 4 ft northwesterly swell and moderate energy (421), but it’s still a poor quality call, just a marginal look at best. The rest of that week is a snooze-fest of tiny, inconsistent lines.

Then we hit a gap of a few days with no real recommendations until we get to a small window. Thursday the 27th afternoon gives us glassy 1 ft south-southwest swell with a very long 18-second period. The energy is moderate (319), but it’s just surfable waves, very ordinary. Not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 28th afternoon is where it gets interesting, but it’s still not a standout. We get glassy conditions again, a 2 ft south-southwest swell with a very long 19-second period, and the energy jumps to a strong 788. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions” – which is the best we’ll see for a while. This is your best bet in the first week, but the wave height is tiny, so don’t expect much.

Moving into the second week, Saturday the 29th has a morning 4 ft south-southwest swell with very long-period energy, and the combined energy is very strong at 1564. But it’s rated marginal. Sunday the 30th brings a bigger 7 ft northwesterly swell, but with a short 9-second period and strong energy (1428), it’s again a marginal call. This is getting into expert-only territory height-wise, but the poor quality means it’s likely a messy, close-out affair for the beach-break style of a point. Monday the 31st through Tuesday of September 1st sees more onshore winds and choppy conditions, so no good.

Finally, the real standout appears way down the track. On Thursday the 4th of September, 16 days from now, we have a morning session that looks promising. A 4 ft south-southwest swell with a very long 18-second period is expected, and the combined energy is very strong (1012). The winds are glassy and the forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” For a high-level advanced-only break that’s fairly consistent, this is the one to circle on the calendar. The long-period groundswell might make it break a bit straight at a beach break, but at a point like Indicators, it should set up nicely. This is a long-range call though, so keep an eye on it.

Overall, the first fortnight is terrible. Just sit tight and wait for that glassy Thursday in early September.

Rusty

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