Surf Forecasts:
Driftwoods surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period, S swell with 335 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period with SSE 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s 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 1.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Driftwoods over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Wed morning, min 24°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Sat afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | WNW 8 | S 11 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 5 | SW 18 | SW 17 | WNW 6 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 212 | 189 | 126 | 87 | 121 | 194 | 153 | 98 | 312 | 302 | 245 | 255 | 249 | 242 | 183 | 115 | 71 | 81 | 212 | 184 | 224 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 10:09AM1.59m | 9:10PM2.11m | 10:30AM1.66m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:05PM0.98m | 4:07AM0.27m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 35 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 22 | 27 | 28 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 19 | 25 | 26 | 21 |
Feels °C | 34 | 34 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 28 | 33 | 33 | 24 | 30 | 30 | 18 | 25 | 26 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | W 4 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | 212 | 189 | 102 | 87 | 81 | 194 | 43 | 26 | 312 | 302 | 206 | 255 | 249 | 242 | 183 | 48 | 71 | 10 | 212 | 184 | 224 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSE 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | WNW 5 | WNW 9 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 37 | 37 | 126 | 50 | 121 | 77 | 66 | 68 | 152 | 91 | 127 | 124 | 2 | 15 | 26 | 115 | 50 | 81 | 8 | 28 | 48 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | S 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 19 | S 19 | W 10 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | W 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 10 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 124 | 85 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 65 | 117 | 66 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 61 | 18 | 68 | 45 | 49 | 16 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | — | W 5 | WNW 4 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 153 | 98 | 135 | 237 | 245 | 172 | 232 | 172 | 75 | — | 22 | 6 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 111 | 8 | 0 | 111 | 38 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 42 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 47 | 318 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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