Teiki Mathieu Baillan surfing a self-made Alaia surfboard in Lances Left, Mentawaï, Indonesia. Photo by C. Naslain, 2009.
| Find the best surf spots |
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Swell is much more consistent north of Point Conception, especially during the winter months. It can be double overhead at some Ranch points and Jalama and flat in Santa Barbara proper. West swells are best.
Seasonal swell & wind variations:
Spring is cold and often windy with weakening swell coming from the north and west. Inconsistent but occasional fun waves. Cold water due to strong winds causing upwelling. Summer is flat south of Cojo Point on the Ranch due to shadowing by offshore islands. Occasional S and SW swells sneak through the channels though and create fun waves at some of the SB and Carpinteria points like Backside Rincon...don't count on it though.Fall can offer great west swell possiblities or be frustratingly flat. Usually clean conditions prevail with occasional offshores.Winter is the most consistent and powerful time of year with solid W and NW ground swells during a good season. W swells can light up all the points and spread the crowd around.
| Jan/Feb | Mar/Apr | May/Jun | Jul/Aug | Sep/Oct | Nov/Dec | |
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| Best Surfing Season |
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| Typical Swell Size |
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| Surf Equipment | Combi intégrale | Combi intégrale | Combi intégrale | Combi inter-saison | Combi inter-saison | Combi intégrale |
| Water temp. | 12°C | 16°C | 17°C | 20°C | 18°C | 14°C |
| Air temp. | 18°C | 20°C | 22°C | 26°C | 23°C | 18°C |
| Climate | ||||||
Spring is cold and often windy with weakening swell coming from the north and west. Inconsistent but occasional fun waves. Cold water due to strong winds causing upwelling. Summer is flat south of Cojo Point on the Ranch due to shadowing by offshore islands. Occasional S and SW swells sneak through the channels though and create fun waves at some of the SB and Carpinteria points like Backside Rincon...don't count on it though.Fall can offer great west swell possiblities or be frustratingly flat. Usually clean conditions prevail with occasional offshores.Winter is the most consistent and powerful time of year with solid W and NW ground swells during a good season. W swells can light up all the points and spread the crowd around.
Your favourites and future surf spot lists
| Surf Spots (41) | Quality | Direction | Type | Frequ | Experience | ||
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| Big Drakes | 5 / - | ||||||
| Bone Yards | 2 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Campus Point | 16 / - | Right | Point-break | ||||
| Carpinteria Beach | 6 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Depressions | 10 / - | Right and left | Beach-break | All surfers | |||
| Devereux | 8 / - | Right | Point-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Driftwoods | 2 / - | Right | Point-break |
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All surfers | ||
| ED's | 1 / - | Right | Point-break |
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Pros or kamikaze only... | ||
| El Capitan | 29 / - | Right | Point-break | Experienced surfers | |||
| Fernald Point | - / - | Right | Point-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Government Point | 5 / - | Right | Point-break |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Hammonds Reef | 8 / - | Right | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Haskells | 2 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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Beginners wave | ||
| Hendry's beach - arroyo burro | - / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Hope Ranch | 3 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Jalama | 22 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| La conchita | - / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Leadbetter | 3 / - | Right | Point-break |
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Beginners wave | ||
| Lefts and Rights | - / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Lighthouse | 1 / - | Right | Reef-rocky |
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All surfers | ||
| Magics | 2 / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Main Street | 10 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Mesa Lane | 3 / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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All surfers | ||
| Miramar Beach | - / - | Right | Point-break | All surfers | |||
| Naples | 1 / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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All surfers | ||
| Perkos | 1 / - | Right | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Purisima Point Peak | 1 / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Refugio | 10 / - | Right | Point-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Rincon | 7 / - | Right | Point-break |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Rockpile | 2 / - | Right | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Sands | 21 / - | Right and left | Beach-break | All surfers | |||
| Sandspit | 22 / 1 | Right | Sand-bar |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Santa Clause | 1 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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All surfers | ||
| Seals | - / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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All surfers | ||
| Shark park | - / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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Pros or kamikaze only... | ||
| Skunk Point | - / - | Right | Sand-bar |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| St Augustine Point | - / - | Right | Point-break | All surfers | |||
| Surf beach | 3 / - | Right and left | Beach-break |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Tajuigas Ranch | 4 / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky |
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Experienced surfers | ||
| Tarantulas | 9 / - | Right and left | Reef-rocky | Experienced surfers | |||
| Tarpits | 2 / - | Right and left | Beach-break | All surfers |
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Big drakes |
Campus point |
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Campus point |
Campus point |
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By fear beneath , 31-05-2008
northern santa barbara county - hey check out the shark forecast at http://www.fearbeneath.com all about northern santa barbara county!
By maro , 02-04-2008
july waves - i am going on surfari to santa barbara on july..i´ve noticed is the flat season.is this really true ?it wouldn´t be swell enough for good spots to break?thanks.aloha
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By Anonymous , 25-08-2008
- Need to escape the summer SB doldrums? From Gaviota, boat into Hollister Ranch. At least 10 high quality breaks. Perfect waves YEAR-ROUND and the prevailing wind is offshore all day long. See you in the line-up!