Water temperature in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Recommendations refresh every 30 minutes based on tide, wind, and crowd telemetry from Quiver.

Pack the right rubber and you'll extend your sessions in Santa Barbara by an hour. Temps swing from upwelling lows to summer peaks, and the difference between a 3/2 and a 4/3 day can come overnight.

Water Temperature
57°F
4/3mm fullsuit

Thicker suit needed for cold water

Extras: booties recommended

7-Day Trend

Data from El Capitan

Top spot recommendations

Sort your quiver, choose the right tide window, and jot down a backup in case the main peak gets stacked.

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Featured Beaches(3)

El Capitan

Advanced

When a strong west swell wraps into this secluded point, El Capitan can produce 300-yard right-handers with barrel sections, but it's fickle and often flat. The take-off is steep over boulders and reef, making it best for experienced surfers.

Leadbetter

Beginner friendly

Soft point/inside reef near the harbor with longboard-friendly lines.

Mesa Lane

Intermediate

A rarely surfed reef break accessed via 240 steep steps, Mesa Lane offers both lefts and rights over a rocky bottom and works best on a rising tide with a west swell. Local surfers favour this spot after work and school.

What to focus on today

  • Weekly temperature trends and seasonal averages
  • Gear recommendations for dawn patrol versus midday
  • Upwelling signals that drop temps overnight
  • Health and recovery tips for long cold sessions

Session logging tips

Once you wrap the surf, drop a note in your Quiver journal with tide, board, and crowd observations. Over time you'll see crystal-clear patterns about when Santa Barbara rewards this type of session objective.

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