Surf Forecasts:
Driftwoods surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 17s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SSW swell with 326 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Driftwoods in the next 16 days are 0.9m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Driftwoods over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 36°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sun afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 11 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 18 | S 12 | S 12 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 121 | 107 | 110 | 68 | 312 | 302 | 261 | 255 | 314 | 218 | 183 | 115 | 83 | 73 | 64 | 86 | 79 | 187 | 184 | 150 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:45PM2.07m | 10:51AM1.73m | 10:22PM1.99m | 11:14AM1.81m | 11:01PM1.86m | 11:39AM1.87m | 11:45PM1.70m | 12:07PM1.93m | 00:36AM1.51m | 12:42PM1.96m | 1:45AM1.33m | 1:25PM1.97m | 3:36AM1.21m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:43PM0.89m | 4:32AM0.32m | 4:22PM0.81m | 4:56AM0.41m | 5:03PM0.74m | 5:19AM0.53m | 5:49PM0.69m | 5:43AM0.68m | 6:42PM0.65m | 6:08AM0.82m | 7:45PM0.63m | 6:34AM0.97m | 9:06PM0.60m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 36 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 27 | 31 | 33 | 23 | 28 | 29 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 26 | 20 | 26 | 26 | 22 |
Feels °C | 35 | 32 | 34 | 31 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 19 | 26 | 27 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | WNW 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 5 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 |
| kJ | 121 | 107 | 43 | 26 | 312 | 302 | 261 | 255 | 314 | 218 | 183 | 30 | 83 | 73 | 64 | 86 | 77 | 187 | 184 | 82 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | S 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 18 | W 9 | S 16 | S 16 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | W 5 | SW 13 | S 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 73 | 75 | 66 | 68 | 152 | 42 | 127 | 124 | 2 | 2 | 107 | 115 | 74 | 68 | 11 | 44 | 52 | 69 | 68 | 150 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | SW 14 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | S 17 | S 9 | S 9 | W 20 | SW 21 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | W 10 | W 10 | SW 13 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 10 | W 10 | S 13 |
| kJ | 21 | 65 | 31 | 19 | 27 | 91 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 139 | 90 | 8 | 8 | 44 | 31 | 79 | 10 | 7 | 84 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 3 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 60 | — | 110 | 67 | 100 | 140 | 229 | 166 | 243 | 167 | 80 | 28 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 22 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 42 | 7 | 8 | 42 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 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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