Indicators Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks look pretty grim around here to be honest. We’ve got a whole lot of small, onshore, or just messy conditions stacking up. The first real standout doesn’t show up until August 30th, and even then it’s a bit of a tricky one. Before that, we’ve got a solid week of flat to poor waves. The waiting game is on.

Let’s start with the early days. From the 23rd through to the 24th of August, it’s a write-off. Swell is tiny, mostly around 2 ft, and the wind is straight on it. Not worth paddling out. The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s nice if you’re sitting on the beach, but the surf is just not there.

We get a little flicker on the 25th of August, Tuesday morning. It’s glassy, with a 2 ft SSW swell at 16 seconds. That long period groundswell has some energy behind it, but the combined energy is still low (239), and it’s tiny. It’s surfable, but ordinary. You might get a few fun ones if you’re desperate, but it’s not worth writing home about. The wind goes cross-on in the afternoon, and it’s back to poor.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are more of the same – tiny, onshore, or cross-on. The wind is light, but the swell just doesn’t have any size or power. Thursday afternoon does see a 4 ft WNW swell come through, but the period is a short 7 seconds, and the wind is cross-on. It’s lumpy and weak. The combined energy is 376, which is moderate, but the quality is just not there.

Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th are marginal at best. The swell starts to pick up a bit – Friday afternoon sees 5 ft at 8 seconds (715 combined energy), and Saturday morning hits 4 ft at 18 seconds (1352 combined energy). That long period is promising, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, and it’s just not clean. Saturday afternoon gets a bit more breeze, 9 mph cross-on, and it’s choppy. You’d be better off waiting.

Now, here’s the highlight. Sunday the 30th of August, morning. The wind goes glassy, and we’ve got a 7 ft NW swell with an 8-second period. The combined energy is 1297, which is solid. That’s a decent pulse, and with glassy conditions, it’s going to be clean. The break here is Indicators – a point break that’s fairly consistent, but it’s sheltered from the swell and the optimum direction is WNW, which is close enough to the NW we’re getting. It’s an advanced break, and with 7 ft swell, it’s going to be too big for beginners. Expect some proper waves, but be ready for a challenge. The crowd factor is “often,” so you’ll have company, but with glassy conditions and a solid swell, it’s the best on offer in this whole window.

After that, the 31st of August is a step back – 5 ft but cross-on and choppy in the afternoon. Tuesday the 1st of September is back to tiny, and Wednesday the 2nd has a glassy morning but only 1 ft of swell – barely a ripple.

The second week, from the 3rd to the 7th of September, is a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions. The swell is mostly around 3 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, with periods ranging from 16 to 19 seconds. That long period is good for a point break like Indicators, but the wind is onshore or cross-on the whole time. The combined energy builds through the week – hitting 1453 on Saturday the 5th afternoon – but it’s never clean. Sunday the 6th has a 19 mph cross-on wind, which is just nasty.

Bottom line: the one and only real standout is Sunday morning, August 30th at Indicators. Glassy, 7 ft NW swell, and a point break setup. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or both. If you’re a patient surfer, this is your window.

- Rusty

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