Driftwoods Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Barbara, USA)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Driftwoods Surf Guide

Driftwoods in Santa Barbara is a fairly exposed point break that only works once in a while with no particular seasonal pattern. Offshore winds are from the north northeast. Groundswells and windswells are equally likely and the ideal swell direction is from the south southwest. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded.

Driftwoods Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Point	3	inconsistent	14.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Driftwoods:

The best conditions reported for surf at Driftwoods occur when a South-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Driftwoods (for consistent clean waves)?

septemberBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Driftwoods with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of September. Clean surfable waves are typically found 11% of the time in September while 44% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 45% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

11%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

44%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

45%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Driftwoods Location Map

Interactive Driftwoods surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Driftwoods is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG) in USA, 68 km (42 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Driftwoods is Point Mugu Nas Airport (NTD), also in USA, 82 km (51 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Driftwoods Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 16:38 Local Time

m, °C	Monday 04
ft, °F	2PM	5PM	8PM	11PM
Wave (m)	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	15	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- off

What does Driftwoods look like?

Latest photos from Driftwoods. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Brad Kaz

Tides at Driftwoods

Current tide and informaton

For Isla Vista, 7 km from Driftwoods.

Next High Water: 11:21pm | 1.99m

Next Low Water: 04:55pm | 1.24m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Driftwoods Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.8 °C) at Driftwoods is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (18.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 14.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite