Surf Forecasts:
Indicators surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 18s period, SSW swell with 877 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 5s. 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 1.2m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) 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 0.9m 13s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Indicators over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, grab a coffee and settle in. Let's talk about what's coming up for Indicators (Indicators). This is a point break that's fairly consistent, but it's a tricky one – it's advanced-level stuff and it's sheltered, so it needs a very specific swell direction to really work. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.
The next two weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. We've got a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions from now until the end of August. The first few days are small and messy, with light cross-onshore breezes keeping things choppy. Thursday the 27th picks up a bit of size in the afternoon, with a 5ft swell, but it's a short-period, windy mess from the NW – not worth paddling out for. There's a brief window of glassy conditions on Friday morning the 28th, with a 3ft SSW groundswell (period 17s), but the energy is still pretty weak. The combined swell energy is only 456 – that's a modest amount of grunt.
Then we hit a real gap. From the 29th of August right through to the morning of the 4th of September, there's nothing worth getting excited about. The swell stays small, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, making for poor surf. There's a couple of mornings with a bit of light offshore wind, but the swell is just too weak to bother with. The energy values sit around 100-300, which is unimpressive.
Now, here's a bit of a standout, but it's a long way out. Starting on Friday morning the 4th of September, we get a run of promising conditions. The wind goes glassy, and we've got a solid 3ft to 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long period of 16 to 18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 524 on the 4th morning, then 501, 451, and 557 through the 5th. This is where the point break should start to show its lines. The 4th morning has heavy rain, but it's glassy, so that's a trade-off. The 5th of September is looking like the pick of the bunch: Saturday morning with light rain, glassy wind, and a 3ft SSW swell at 16 seconds. The 6th of September (Sunday morning) is also looking clean with glassy conditions.
The only catch with this long-period groundswell is that it can break a bit straight at a beach break, but for a point, it should be excellent. The swell direction (SSW) is a good match for the optimum WNW direction for this spot, so it should wrap in nicely. Just be aware this is a week and a half away, so while the forecast looks promising, it's not set in stone.
After that, the 8th of September Tuesday afternoon has another glassy window with a 3ft SSW swell at 18 seconds, which is worth a look. The 10th of September Thursday morning wraps up the run with glassy conditions and a 3ft SSW swell at 16 seconds.
So, overall, if you can wait, the first week of September is where the real action is. The 5th of September is the standout. Don't waste your time on the early stuff.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SSW 16 | NW 7 | SW 15 | NW 6 | NW 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
169 | 166 | 189 | 133 | 157 | 216 | 336 | 292 | 486 | 823 | 505 | 688 | 554 | 411 | 400 | 297 | 226 | 154 | 116 | 99 | 65 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:20AM1.29m | 9:49PM1.61m | 11:36AM1.32m | 10:29PM1.57m | 11:54AM1.36m | 11:10PM1.51m | 12:15PM1.43m | 11:54PM1.42m | 12:38PM1.51m | 00:42AM1.32m | 1:06PM1.58m | 1:38AM1.21m | 1:39PM1.66m | 2:48AM1.11m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:05PM0.75m | 4:38AM-0.07m | 4:37PM0.64m | 5:03AM-0.03m | 5:11PM0.53m | 5:28AM0.06m | 5:47PM0.43m | 5:53AM0.19m | 6:27PM0.33m | 6:20AM0.35m | 7:14PM0.25m | 6:48AM0.54m | 8:09PM0.20m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
— | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 28 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 17 |
Feels °C | 24 | 27 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | S 13 | WNW 7 | S 11 | S 11 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSW 19 | WNW 7 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 |
169 | 171 | 131 | 94 | 89 | 120 | 101 | 292 | 108 | 823 | 505 | 688 | 257 | 411 | 151 | 149 | 116 | 61 | 116 | 112 | 112 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | SSW 16 | S 12 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 17 | SW 14 | SSW 18 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 16 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 |
112 | 166 | 144 | 104 | 103 | 138 | 336 | 89 | 486 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 554 | 5 | 400 | 297 | 226 | 154 | 31 | 99 | 26 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 13 | W 13 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | W 9 | S 9 | — | — | S 9 | — | S 13 | W 10 | W 10 | SSE 13 | S 13 | SW 18 | SSW 13 |
55 | 55 | 106 | 133 | 131 | 96 | 59 | 31 | 28 | 7 | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 8 | 8 | 57 | 121 | 50 | 65 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | NW 5 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 | — |
22 | 51 | 189 | 78 | 157 | 216 | 167 | 138 | 205 | 170 | 228 | 274 | 445 | 151 | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 368 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 145 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 0 | 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.











