Surf Forecasts:
Isla Vista surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 7 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 19s period, SSW swell with 212 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Isla Vista this week:
The surf forecast for Isla Vista over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Isla Vista in the next 16 days are 0.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Sunday (Aug 09) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Isla Vista over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you, this is a tough one. The surf forecast for Isla Vista is looking pretty grim for the next 16 days. I’ve been through it all, and there’s just nothing on offer that’s any good. Not a single proper session in sight, so we’re looking at a long, empty stretch with no real waves to ride.
We’re talking about Isla Vista, a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent, but it’s not doing us any favours here. The water’s at about 70°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real anomaly that’s standing out, but sadly that’s the only thing that’s out of the ordinary.
The whole period is a write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly sitting around 1 ft to 3 ft, with a weak combined energy that’s all over the place, from as low as 59 (weak) up to 361 (moderate) later on. But the problem is the wind. It’s almost always onshore, from the SW or WSW, sometimes cross-onshore, keeping everything messy and choppy. Even when the swell picks up a little in the second week, the conditions are just poor. The wave comment on every single forecast is “poor surf conditions,” and the scores are all zeros. There’s nothing to recommend, no standout, no nothing.
For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a real bummer. We’ll have to wait for the forecasts to change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 20°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SW 12 | WNW 9 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 18 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 17 | S 18 | SW 16 | S 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 96 | 129 | 47 | 113 | 110 | 40 | 65 | 34 | 99 | 51 | 31 | 56 | 46 | 44 | 63 | 94 | 143 | 75 | 97 | 65 | 125 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:08PM1.72m | 00:33AM1.63m | 1:39PM1.79m | 1:30AM1.44m | 2:17PM1.85m | 2:54AM1.26m | 3:07PM1.92m | 5:09AM1.17m | 4:08PM1.99m | 7:18AM1.23m | 5:17PM2.09m | 8:21AM1.34m | 6:24PM2.20m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:55PM0.95m | 6:57AM0.64m | 8:01PM0.90m | 7:23AM0.79m | 9:22PM0.82m | 7:54AM0.94m | 10:54PM0.69m | 8:38AM1.08m | 00:16AM0.50m | 10:00AM1.18m | 1:19AM0.30m | 11:40AM1.21m | 2:11AM0.13m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 23 |
Feels °C | 26 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | SW 13 | W 6 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | WNW 9 | W 6 | NW 9 | SW 14 | W 5 | SW 14 | W 5 | W 4 | SW 13 | W 4 | SW 13 | SSW 19 | W 4 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 16 |
| kJ | 96 | 44 | 39 | 113 | 26 | 35 | 18 | 20 | 99 | 11 | 31 | 21 | 6 | 44 | 9 | 43 | 143 | 9 | 75 | 65 | 125 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 18 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 12 | NW 9 | SSW 12 | WNW 8 | SW 14 | WNW 8 | SW 13 | SW 13 | W 5 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 17 | S 18 | WNW 6 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 47 | 49 | 47 | 44 | 41 | 37 | 21 | 29 | 14 | 51 | 6 | 56 | 46 | 4 | 44 | 94 | 42 | 75 | 97 | 14 | 98 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | S 12 | SW 13 | WSW 16 | S 11 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SW 15 | W 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 11 | WNW 8 | S 12 | WNW 9 | SSW 18 | WNW 8 | W 5 | SW 13 | SW 12 | S 16 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 11 | 44 | 26 | 9 | 40 | 28 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 63 | 14 | 2 | 42 | 22 | 46 | 21 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 9 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 9 | W 5 | WNW 9 | W 4 | W 5 | W 4 | W 4 | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 4 | — | WNW 8 | — | SE 2 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 129 | 36 | — | 110 | 31 | 65 | 14 | 27 | 8 | 9 | — | — | 28 | 10 | — | 14 | — | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 36 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 150 | 36 | 0 | 53 | 311 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
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 Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Isla Vista provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Isla Vista can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Isla Vista 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 (Isla Vista) 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 Isla Vista 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.
Isla Vista is 1 km (1 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.
Nearest