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Isla Vista Surf Forecast
/ CAL – Santa Barbara (36 breaks) / California (404 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Isla Vista surfForecast / CAL – Santa Barbara / USA
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 4 am Tuesday 12 May 2026 PDTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Isla Vista surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Isla Vista sea temperature is
15.0° C
(Which is 1.0°C warmer than normal for this time of year)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 Tuesday (May 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 14s. 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 17) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (May 18) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 12th May) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 15th May) | 6ft (1.8m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 17th May) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Isla Vista over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, strong winds from the WNW by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 12 | Wednesday 13 | Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSW 15 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 7 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | |
167 | 133 | 115 | 104 | 152 | 173 | 422 | 254 | 294 | 276 | 341 | 637 | 788 | 888 | 1109 | 1293 | 943 | 1338 | 647 | 438 | 297 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | glassy | |
High Tide | 7:20PM1.94m | 7:44AM1.56m | 7:47PM2.11m | 8:43AM1.57m | 8:19PM2.26m | 9:41AM1.57m | 8:56PM2.38m | 10:40AM1.56m | 9:37PM2.45m | 11:39AM1.53m | 10:22PM2.46m | 12:43PM1.50m | 11:11PM2.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:43PM0.66m | 1:53AM0.66m | 1:19PM0.73m | 2:37AM0.40m | 1:56PM0.82m | 3:23AM0.18m | 2:35PM0.90m | 4:10AM0.01m | 3:15PM0.99m | 5:01AM-0.08m | 3:59PM1.07m | 5:54AM-0.09m | 4:48PM1.14m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — |
 | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:55 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 23 | 24 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 16 |
18 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 15 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 |
 kJ | 164 | 133 | 95 | 91 | 152 | 105 | 422 | 254 | 294 | 276 | 341 | 637 | 81 | 81 | 68 | 60 | 59 | 34 | 647 | 438 | 297 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | NW 15 | S 15 | S 10 | S 18 | SW 18 | S 16 | SSW 13 | SE 3 | S 12 |
| kJ | 167 | 121 | 115 | 104 | 102 | 173 | 102 | 98 | 176 | 172 | 156 | 113 | 57 | 38 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 31 | 2 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | SW 20 | WNW 14 | S 18 | SSW 13 | S 16 | S 16 | S 10 | W 19 | S 16 | WNW 16 | S 15 | W 19 | — | SW 18 | S 18 | SW 18 | S 16 | S 12 | S 15 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 15 | 19 | 25 | 58 | 81 | 77 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 26 | 39 | 7 | — | 12 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 12 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 7 | WNW 12 | SE 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | — | — | 210 | 500 | 788 | 888 | 1109 | 1293 | 943 | 1338 | 2 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 150 | 54 | 0 | 150 | 2 | 0 | 148 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 311 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 135 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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.
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