Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is 1-4 ft, waist to chest. Up to 5 ft at the best exposures. Next tide high 6.0 ft at 10:11 AM. Water 71°F.
Santa Barbara, 1-4 ft tomorrow. Good, best 6:30 to 9:30 AM.
Santa Barbara is 1-4 ft, waist to chest. Up to 5 ft at the best exposures. Next tide high 6.0 ft at 10:11 AM. Water 71°F.6:10 AM auto summaryBest now
- Beach Hazards Statement, Santa Barbara, Sun 1:58 PM to Tue 2 PM.
Now, Sun 5:35 PMForecast run: Oct 11, Noon
WAVE HEIGHT, FT
Number: typical max ft
FlatEpic
400 m to 1 km grid. CDIP model.
CDIP, NOAA, Open-Meteo, © OpenStreetMap contributors
Santa Barbara 2-5 ft, Fair.
Report
Written at 6:00 AM from live data.
Full report
Private boat trips from Santa Barbara Harbor
Up to 6 guests on a 25 ft boat. Snorkeling, sea caves, foiling and diving.
Book a trip
Forecast
Seven days by region. Tap a day for detail.
| Dawn | Morning | Midday | Afternoon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past | Past | Past | Sun afternoon: Santa Barbara 2-5 ft, Fair, WSW 10 kt cross-onshore. | |
Sunday, Santa BarbaraLoading the Santa Barbara forecast. | ||||
| Mon dawn: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Good, NNW 4 kt offshore. | Mon morning: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Fair to Good, SW 4 kt onshore. | Mon midday: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Fair, SW 9 kt cross-onshore. | Mon afternoon: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Fair, WSW 8 kt cross-onshore. | |
| Tue dawn: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Good, NNE 4 kt offshore. | Tue morning: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Poor to Fair, SSW 5 kt onshore. | Tue midday: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Poor to Fair, SW 8 kt onshore. | Tue afternoon: Santa Barbara 1-4 ft, Fair, WSW 8 kt cross-onshore. | |
| Wed dawn: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair to Good, NNE 5 kt offshore. | Wed morning: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, SSW 4 kt onshore. | Wed midday: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, WSW 4 kt cross-onshore. | Wed afternoon: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, W 4 kt cross. | |
| Thu dawn: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, NNE 4 kt offshore. | Thu morning: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, SSW 3 kt onshore. | Thu midday: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, W 4 kt cross-onshore. | Thu afternoon: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Poor to Fair, WNW 6 kt cross. | |
| Fri dawn: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, NNE 5 kt offshore. | Fri morning: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, S 2 kt glassy. | Fri midday: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Poor to Fair, W 7 kt cross-onshore. | Fri afternoon: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Poor to Fair, W 7 kt cross. | |
| No estimate | Sat morning: Santa Barbara 1-3 ft, Fair, SSW 4 kt onshore. | No estimate | No estimate | |
- 0Flat
- VPVery Poor
- PPoor
- P-FPoor to Fair
- FFair
- F-GFair to Good
- GGood
- EEpic
- Outlined: best window
- Hatched: low confidence
Outlook
Offshore swell only. Size at the beach depends on the region.
Tides
Tide for the next three days, by region.
Wind
Observed at Stearns Wharf, then the forecast.
Could stay clean until about 8 AM to noon
Wind, kt
Stearns Wharf. Forecast: blend of HRRR, NBM, ECMWF, GEM, GFS.
Swell window
How much of an offshore swell reaches this coast, by direction.
S 180°0.17
SSW 195°0.24
SSW 210°0.34
SW 225°0.53
WSW 240°0.63
WSW 255°0.54
W 270°0.34
WNW 285°0.14
WNW 300°0.09
NW 315°0.08
00.51.0
Bar: median. Tick: the most exposed 10% of the coast.
Point Conception and the Channel Islands block NW and most S swell. Open to SW to WSW (225 to 255) through the channel's west entrance. Hollister Ranch and Point Conception see the most. Carpinteria and Rincon open to W. The Santa Barbara waterfront is the most sheltered stretch.
Buoys
Three offshore buoys for Santa Barbara. Swell shows up here first.
Harvest
Live, 46 min agoOutside Point Conception. First read on west and northwest swell entering the channel.
- 11.0 ft NNW
- 11 s
- 68°F
- 8.0 ft 11 s NW
- 5.6 ft 8 s NW windswell
- 4.5 ft 13 s NW
At the beach: Santa Barbara about 2-5 ft, Ventura about 3-7 ft. Most of the northwest energy is blocked.
InformsSanta BarbaraVentura
Mostly blocked for Santa BarbaraMostly blocked for Ventura
East Santa Barbara
No dataMid channel off Goleta. Channel wind swell, wind and water temperature.
No reading since Mon 9:50 PM
InformsSanta BarbaraVentura
Santa Cruz Basin
No dataSouth of the islands. First read on south swell for Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles.
No reading
InformsSanta BarbaraVenturaLos Angeles
Dashed: windswell
All buoy dataNews
Swell alerts and notes for Santa Barbara.
- Forecast notes
El Niño this winter: what it means for Santa Barbara
NOAA says a strong to very strong El Niño is likely through early 2027, with odds above 83%. Here is what that has meant for Santa Barbara surf and rain in the past, and what the forecast shows right now.
Santa Barbara - Forecast notes
Lobster season opens Friday, Oct 2 at 6 PM
California's recreational spiny lobster season opens Friday evening and runs through March 17. Here are the dates, the key rules and the conditions to check before you dive.
Santa BarbaraVenturaLos AngelesOrange CountySan Diego
Common questions
Answers from the latest data.
How big is the surf in Santa Barbara today?
2-5 ft, chest to shoulder, rated Fair, as of 5:35 PM.
How is the wind in Santa Barbara right now?
10 kt SW, gusting 13 kt, cross-onshore.
When is the next low tide in Santa Barbara?
Tomorrow at 4:20 AM, 2.0 ft, at Santa Barbara. High tide follows tomorrow at 10:37 AM, 5.9 ft.
What is the water temperature in Santa Barbara?
71°F at Stearns Wharf as of 5:10 PM.
What wetsuit do I need in Santa Barbara?
Trunks or springsuit, with the water at 71°F.