Surf Forecasts:
Driftwoods surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, S swell with 586 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Driftwoods this week:
The surf forecast for Driftwoods over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Driftwoods in the next 16 days are 1.3m 13s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Driftwoods over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat afternoon, min 18°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 19 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 325 | 240 | 255 | 242 | 201 | 249 | 322 | 394 | 361 | 530 | 586 | 451 | 374 | 408 | 279 | 121 | 206 | 238 | 298 | 264 | 251 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:43PM1.97m | 7:35AM1.36m | 5:08PM2.02m | 8:08AM1.47m | 6:21PM2.11m | 8:37AM1.57m | 7:22PM2.19m | 9:07AM1.68m | 8:15PM2.22m | 9:36AM1.79m | 9:03PM2.19m | 10:04AM1.88m | 9:50PM2.10m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:02AM0.40m | 10:25AM1.29m | 1:04AM0.26m | 12:07PM1.22m | 1:52AM0.16m | 1:16PM1.09m | 2:34AM0.11m | 2:11PM0.93m | 3:11AM0.12m | 3:00PM0.78m | 3:45AM0.19m | 3:47PM0.66m | 4:17AM0.32m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 27 | 28 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 32 | 35 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 24 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 30 | 33 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 17 | SW 11 | SW 9 |
| kJ | 325 | 240 | 255 | 213 | 201 | 249 | 322 | 394 | 361 | 530 | 586 | 451 | 374 | 408 | 279 | 70 | 206 | 133 | 298 | 237 | 176 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SW 15 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | SW 19 | WNW 6 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 121 | 113 | 131 | 242 | 192 | 196 | 144 | 140 | 144 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 49 | 49 | 68 | 121 | 137 | 238 | 85 | 264 | 251 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 11 | WNW 11 | SSE 11 | SW 11 | WNW 5 | W 5 | SW 10 | SW 19 | — | SSW 18 | W 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SW 19 | NW 10 | NW 10 | SW 12 | S 12 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 58 | 38 | 51 | 45 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 15 | — | 31 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 94 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 11 | 22 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | W 3 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | — | W 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 10 | W 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 3 | — | — | W 2 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 12 | — | 22 | 6 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 4 | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 47 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 38 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 8 | 5 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Driftwoods surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Driftwoods Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Driftwoods provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Driftwoods can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Driftwoods surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Driftwoods) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Driftwoods may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Driftwoods is 7 km (4 miles) from Isla Vista. If you plan a vacation in Santa Barbara, look for hotels and other accommodation in Isla Vista. Isla Vista has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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