Indian River Inlet, DE

MapBeginner-friendlyLive · -

2h 13m of daylight left

Sunset at 11:30 PM

Today is the peak

Don't wait — score 7.0 during the 10 AM–11 AM window. Tomorrow doesn't beat it.

MAYBEMaybe

5.9/ 10 · Fair

Best time to ride

9 PM–10 PM

Next 12 hours

Could be okay if you're nearby.

Light offshore wind
Tide window opening

Conditions

Wave

1.6 ft→

Sweet spot 2.5–6 ft

Period

7s↓

Sweet spot 9–13 s

Wind

10 mph S→

Side-off

Tide

Next · Low 04:52 AM

Session plan

Maybe

Could be okay if you're nearby.

Indian River Inlet, DE · Beginner-friendly

MAYBE

Peak window

9 PM–10 PM

Avg score 4.7/10

Why this score

Tide will shift conditions soon.

Wave height1.6 ft

Swell period7s

WindSide-off 10 mph

Current: 1.6 ft @ 7s • 10 mph wind. wave height is okay but not doing the heavy lifting period is middling and not a big factor either way light wind is keeping things clean wind direction is generally helping the shape

Next 12 hours

Peak window 9 PM–10 PM

Today's read·Auto-generated from the forecast

Mixed conditions — 1.6 ft with side-off winds. If you go, 9 PM–10 PM looks the cleanest stretch.

9 PM

5.91.6ft

10 PM

3.51.8ft

11 PM

2.32.0ft

12 AM

2.32.2ft

1 AM

4.62.2ft

2 AM

5.62.2ft

3 AM

7.52.2ft

4 AM

9.02.1ft

5 AM

9.02.1ft

6 AM

8.02.0ft

7 AM

8.92.0ft

8 AM

9.52.0ft

Sunrise 10:29 AM Sunset 11:30 PM

Next 5 days

Best window

Best this week

7.0/10

Tuesday, Sep 1 • 10 AM–11 AM

Wave 1.2 ft

Period 7s

Wind max 13 mph

Temp 71–91°F

Tuesday, Sep 1

7.0 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 1.2 ft

Period: 7s

Wind max: 13 mph

Wednesday, Sep 2

6.6 / 10

Best: 9 AM–10 AM

Wave: 2.5 ft

Period: 11s

Wind max: 16 mph

Thursday, Sep 3

5.8 / 10

Best: 2 PM–3 PM

Wave: 2.0 ft

Period: 9s

Wind max: 13 mph

Friday, Sep 4

5.2 / 10

Best: 7 AM–8 AM

Wave: 2.1 ft

Period: 7s

Wind max: 13 mph

Saturday, Sep 5

3.2 / 10

Best: 2 PM–3 PM

Wave: 1.7 ft

Period: 6s

Wind max: 15 mph

Day	Best window	Score	Wave	Period	Wind max	Temp
Tuesday, Sep 1	10 AM–11 AM	7.0	1.2 ft	7s	13 mph	71–91°F
Wednesday, Sep 2	9 AM–10 AM	6.6	2.5 ft	11s	16 mph	74–78°F
Thursday, Sep 3	2 PM–3 PM	5.8	2.0 ft	9s	13 mph	73–93°F
Friday, Sep 4	7 AM–8 AM	5.2	2.1 ft	7s	13 mph	70–89°F
Saturday, Sep 5	2 PM–3 PM	3.2	1.7 ft	6s	15 mph	70–78°F

Spot intelWetsuit, hazards & notes

Good for beginners 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