Rincon - Indicator Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s size up what we’ve got for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I’m not gonna lie – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out period of small, messy surf with very little to get fired up about. The water is a balmy 70° at the start, which is nearly 7° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a very unusual spike in temperature, making it feel like a tropical bath. But the waves? They just aren’t playing ball.

For the first week, from Sunday, August 9 right through to Saturday, August 15, the swell is tiny, mostly around 1.0ft to 3ft, and coming from the SSW or SW. It’s mostly a mix of light onshore or cross-onshore breezes, which keeps the surface a bit bumpy. The combined energy is weak, rarely breaking into the moderate range (with values like 146, 164, 103, all under 200). It’s a real grind.

The only flicker of life comes on Sunday, August 16 morning at Rincon - Indicator. The swell bumps up to 2ft from the SW, with a period of 16 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The wind is light and onshore, so it won’t be pristine, but it’s the best of a bad bunch. The combined energy climbs to 272 (moderate). For a spot like this, a long period and a clean-ish morning could still produce a few longer, lined-up waves, even if the height is small.

After that, the models keep showing that same story: small swells, persistent cross-onshore winds, and energy levels that occasionally spike into the 200s or 300s, but the quality just isn’t there. The whole run is a lesson in patience.

To be honest, with the consistently poor surf quality and the mostly light but mixed winds, the setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer for the majority of this period. The flat spells are long, and there’s no standout to recommend. Just keep your gear ready, because it tends not to stay this poor forever.

Rusty.

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