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Driftwoods Surf Forecast
/ CAL – Santa Barbara (36 breaks) / California (404 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Driftwoods surfForecast / CAL – Santa Barbara / USA
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 4 am Friday 24 Apr 2026 PDTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Driftwoods surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Driftwoods sea temperature is
15.9° C
(Which is 2.3°C warmer than normal for this time of year)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 (Apr 24) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 16s 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 2.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Apr 30) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Apr 30) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 24th Apr) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Fri 1st May) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 30th Apr) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Driftwoods over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the W by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WNW 7 | WNW 5 | WNW 16 | W 15 | WNW 15 | W 15 | WNW 16 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | W 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | WNW 11 | SW 15 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | |
66 | 84 | 83 | 113 | 71 | 109 | 83 | 63 | 82 | 116 | 38 | 67 | 59 | 26 | 40 | 24 | 25 | 33 | 166 | 459 | 197 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | |
High Tide | 6:46PM1.67m | 5:27AM1.78m | 7:20PM1.78m | 6:39AM1.74m | 7:49PM1.88m | 7:39AM1.71m | 8:15PM1.97m | 8:32AM1.68m | 8:39PM2.04m | 9:19AM1.64m | 9:03PM2.09m | 10:05AM1.60m | 9:26PM2.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:37AM0.34m | 11:56PM1.17m | 12:29PM0.39m | 1:03AM0.98m | 1:12PM0.46m | 1:54AM0.79m | 1:48PM0.56m | 2:37AM0.62m | 2:19PM0.67m | 3:15AM0.48m | 2:48PM0.79m | 3:51AM0.37m | 3:14PM0.90m | 4:27AM0.30m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:43 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 14 |
16 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 9 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 13 | WNW 16 | W 15 | WNW 15 | W 15 | WNW 16 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | NW 13 | WNW 13 | W 4 | NW 12 | WNW 12 | NW 12 | WNW 11 | SW 15 | NW 15 | WSW 14 | WNW 14 |
 kJ | 65 | 55 | 83 | 113 | 71 | 109 | 83 | 63 | 82 | 116 | 44 | 67 | 9 | 37 | 28 | 34 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 20 | 73 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | WNW 13 | WNW 16 | S 12 | S 11 | W 14 | S 11 | WNW 12 | S 12 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WNW 16 | SW 14 | S 13 | WSW 14 |
| kJ | 65 | 62 | 55 | 55 | 54 | 26 | 33 | 50 | 25 | 9 | 36 | 10 | 59 | 11 | 40 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 33 | 14 | 18 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | W 16 | WNW 12 | SW 13 | WNW 11 | SW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SW 15 | SSE 13 | SW 16 | SW 13 | S 12 | WSW 16 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | S 11 | S 13 | S 11 | S 10 |
| kJ | 66 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 34 | 17 | 10 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 5 | W 4 | W 4 | W 5 | W 4 | WNW 5 | W 5 | W 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | — | 84 | 52 | 25 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 40 | 33 | 16 | 38 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 24 | 5 | 19 | 66 | 166 | 459 | 197 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 157 | 42 | 0 | 8 | 336 | 0 | 9 | 336 | 0 | 47 | 117 | 0 | 135 | 336 | 0 | 47 | 336 | 7 | 42 | 336 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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