Indian River Inlet, DE

MapLive · -

5h 9m of daylight left

Sunset at 12:22 AM

Tomorrow > Today

Today scores 5.8, but tomorrow climbs to 6.9 during the 7 AM–8 AM window. Plan around it.

5-day

SKIPSkip

2.8/ 10 · Poor

Best time to ride

10 PM–11 PM

Next 12 hours

Probably not worth the paddle.

Clean swell
Tide window opening

Conditions

Wave

2.8 ft↑

Sweet spot 2.5–6 ft

Period

4s→

Sweet spot 9–13 s

Wind

22 mph S→

Cross-shore

Tide

Next · Low 05:39 AM

Session plan

Skip

Probably not worth the paddle.

Indian River Inlet, DE

SKIP

Peak window

10 PM–11 PM

Avg score 3.2/10

Why this score

Tide will shift conditions soon.

Wave height2.8 ft

Swell period4s

WindCross-shore 22 mph

Current: 2.8 ft @ 4s • 22 mph wind. wave height is in a sweet spot for this spot short period is making things weaker and choppier strong wind is adding a lot of bump and texture

Next 12 hours

Peak window 10 PM–11 PM

Today's read·Auto-generated from the forecast

Wind-blown and soft — 2.8 ft with cross winds chopping it up. Tide shift to low around 5:39 AM could change the picture.

7 PM

2.82.8ft

8 PM

2.83.0ft

9 PM

2.83.2ft

10 PM

3.23.5ft

11 PM

3.23.8ft

12 AM

3.24.1ft

1 AM

3.23.6ft

2 AM

4.83.2ft

3 AM

4.82.8ft

4 AM

5.62.7ft

5 AM

5.62.5ft

6 AM

4.02.4ft

Sunrise 9:50 AM Sunset 12:22 AM

Next 5 days

Best window

Best this week

8.7/10

Wednesday, Jul 22 • 6 PM–7 PM

Wave 3.3 ft

Period 8s

Wind max 27 mph

Temp 69–86°F

Saturday, Jul 18

5.8 / 10

Best: 6 AM–7 AM

Wave: 1.2 ft

Period: 14s

Wind max: 30 mph

Sunday, Jul 19

6.9 / 10

Best: 7 AM–8 AM

Wave: 2.7 ft

Period: 6s

Wind max: 34 mph

Monday, Jul 20

2.3 / 10

Best: 6 AM–7 AM

Wave: 1.8 ft

Period: 6s

Wind max: 13 mph

Tuesday, Jul 21

3.8 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 3.1 ft

Period: 5s

Wind max: 25 mph

Wednesday, Jul 22

8.7 / 10

Best: 6 PM–7 PM

Wave: 3.3 ft

Period: 8s

Wind max: 27 mph

Day	Best window	Score	Wave	Period	Wind max	Temp
Saturday, Jul 18	6 AM–7 AM	5.8	1.2 ft	14s	30 mph	71–97°F
Sunday, Jul 19	7 AM–8 AM	6.9	2.7 ft	6s	34 mph	75–82°F
Monday, Jul 20	6 AM–7 AM	2.3	1.8 ft	6s	13 mph	72–79°F
Tuesday, Jul 21	1 PM–2 PM	3.8	3.1 ft	5s	25 mph	73–87°F
Wednesday, Jul 22	6 PM–7 PM	8.7	3.3 ft	8s	27 mph	69–86°F

Spot intelWetsuit, hazards & notes

Not beginner-friendly today

Beginner basics

Where to go

There is no good beginner zone right at the inlet. Walk well north onto the open Delaware Seashore beach and pick a mellow sandbar away from the jetty.

What to avoid

Do not paddle out near the inlet mouth — the tidal current is one of the strongest on the East Coast and will pull you under the bridge. Boat traffic is constant.

Best beginner conditions

Surf the open beach to the north on a waist-high NE swell, light W wind, mid tide. Skip the inlet entirely until you have years of experience.

New to surfing? Read the beginner guide →

Wetsuit

Summer setup

Season-based baseline. Water temp varies week to week.

Full guide

Boardshorts / Bikini

Or 2mm top on windy mornings

2mm Springsuit / Shorty

If you get cold easily

Spot notes