Surf-Forecast | El Capitan Surf Guide

El Capitan Surf Guide

El Capitan in Santa Barbara is a fairly exposed reef and point break that has inconsistent surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. Offshore winds blow from the north. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the west. Often Crowded. Rocks are a hazard.

El Capitan Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef and point	4	inconsistent	16.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing El Capitan:

The best conditions reported for surf at El Capitan occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

decemberBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing El Capitan with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of December. Clean surfable waves are typically found 71% of the time in December while 20% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 9% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

71%

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

blown out

20%

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

too small

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

Explore El Capitan Location Map

Interactive El Capitan 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 El Capitan is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG) in USA, 59 km (37 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to El Capitan is Point Mugu Nas Airport (NTD), also in USA, 91 km (57 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.

El Capitan Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Friday, 19 June 2026, 07:53 Local Time

m, °C	Friday 19
ft, °F	8AM	11AM	2PM	5PM
Wave (m)	SW	SSW	SW	SSW
Period (s)	15	18	18	18
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

What does El Capitan look like?

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

Credit: Christina Colberg

Tides at El Capitan

Current tide and informaton

For Beavers, 4 km from El Capitan.

Next High Water: 03:14pm | 1.69m

Next Low Water: 08:16am | 0.21m

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

El Capitan Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feels like 20.0 °C) at El Capitan, yet the sea remains several degrees colder than the air. Most surfers will need a spring wetsuit though a summer suit or even a shorty may suffice for a short session.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 16.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite