Refugio State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

Photo credit: Crazynebrakan
Surf Break: Refugio State Beach

Photo credit: Bob Peet
Surf Break: Refugio State Beach

Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara is a fairly exposed beach and point break that has quite reliable surf. Winter is the optimum time of year for surfing here. Ideal winds are from the north northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the optimum swell angle is from the west. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Often Crowded. Beware of rips, rocks, private, locals and sharks.

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Overall Refugio State Beach Surf Consistency and Wind Distribution

IMPORTANT: Beta version feature! Swell heights are open water values from NWW3. There is no attempt to model near-shore effects. Coastal wave heights will generally be less, especially if the break does not have unobstructed exposure to the open ocean.

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This picture illustrates the range of swells directed at Refugio State Beach through an... (show all text)

The figure describes how commonly and how strongly the wind blows from different direct... (show all text)

Also see Refugio State Beach surf quality by season and Refugio State Beach surf quality by month.

Select Refugio State Beach Location Map Detail:

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Use this relief map to navigate to California - Santa Barbara surf breaks and tide stations that are in the area of Refugio State Beach

Other Nearby Surf Breaks closest to Refugio State Beach:   (click location name for more details)
Closest break	Beavers/Hazards	1 mi
Second closest break	Tajuigas Ranch	1 mi
Third closest break	Tajiguas	2 mi
Fourth closest break	El Capitan	3 mi
Fifth closest break	ED's	5 mi
Wave buoys nearest to Refugio State Beach:
Closest wave buoy	East Santa Barbara Buoy	20 mi
Second closest wave buoy	Santa Barbara Buoy	25 mi
Third closest wave buoy	Santa Maria Buoy	53 mi
Fourth closest wave buoy	PT Arguello Buoy	53 mi
Fifth closest wave buoy	South Santa Rosa Island Buoy	55 mi
Tide stations nearest to Refugio State Beach:
Closest tide station	Gaviota, California	8 mi
Second closest tide station	Santa Barbara, Pacific Ocean, California	23 mi
Third closest tide station	Santa Barbara, Pacific Ocean, California (sub)	23 mi
Fourth closest tide station	Santa Barbara, California	23 mi
Fifth closest tide station	Santa Barbara, California (2)	23 mi
Ski Resorts closest to Refugio State Beach:
Closest ski area	Alta Sierra at Shirley Meadows (United States)	122 mi
Second closest ski area	Mountain High resort (United States)	137 mi
Third closest ski area	Mt Baldy (United States)	137 mi
Fourth closest ski area	Sunrise Ski Area (United States)	137 mi
Fifth closest ski area	Snow Valley (United States)	175 mi
Town and city forecasts close to Refugio State Beach:
Closest city location	Solvang (United States)	10 mi
Second closest city location	Santa Ynez (United States)	11 mi
Third closest city location	Buellton (United States)	12 mi
Fourth closest city location	Isla Vista (United States)	13 mi
Fifth closest city location	Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (United States)	14 mi

• The closest passenger airport to Refugio State Beach is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG) in USA, 55 km (34 miles) away (directly).
• The second nearest airport to Refugio State Beach is Point Mugu Nas Airport (NTD), also in USA, 96 km (60 miles) away.
• Third is Meadows Fld (Bakersfield) Airport (BFL) in USA, 143 km (89 miles) away.
• Burbank Glendale Pasadena Airport (BUR) in USA is 161 km (100 miles) away.
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), also in USA is the fifth nearest airport to Refugio State Beach and is 164 km (102 miles) away.