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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 10 am Thursday 21 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
15.2° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)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 Thursday (May 21) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 4s 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 0.7m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 26) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 21st May) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Mon 25th May) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 26th May) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 15s |
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. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wednesday 27 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WNW 12 | WNW 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 11 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | |
93 | 142 | 80 | 109 | 82 | 116 | 122 | 124 | 124 | 110 | 104 | 103 | 144 | 200 | 164 | 246 | 240 | 165 | 160 | 237 | 221 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | |
High Tide | 4:09PM1.58m | 2:18AM1.90m | 5:05PM1.67m | 3:40AM1.72m | 5:51PM1.78m | 5:05AM1.59m | 6:28PM1.88m | 6:24AM1.51m | 7:00PM1.96m | 7:33AM1.47m | 7:29PM2.03m | 8:33AM1.46m | 7:56PM2.08m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:52AM0.17m | 8:33PM1.28m | 9:51AM0.30m | 10:16PM1.20m | 10:46AM0.43m | 11:45PM1.04m | 11:36AM0.56m | 00:52AM0.85m | 12:19PM0.69m | 1:44AM0.67m | 12:57PM0.82m | 2:27AM0.51m | 1:31PM0.93m | 3:05AM0.38m | |||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — |
 | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
20 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 12 | SW 15 | WNW 11 | W 5 | SW 15 | WNW 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 |
 kJ | 93 | 77 | 47 | 11 | 54 | 57 | 122 | 124 | 124 | 110 | 104 | 103 | 144 | 200 | 164 | 246 | 240 | 165 | 101 | 237 | 221 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | S 12 | SW 15 | WNW 11 | S 13 | SW 15 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | S 17 | S 17 | WNW 13 | W 6 | NW 12 | NW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 13 | 11 | 55 | 46 | 29 | 116 | 39 | 33 | 39 | 33 | 10 | 17 | 89 | 92 | 67 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 160 | 158 | 113 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | S 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 17 | NW 15 | NW 14 | S 16 | NW 12 | WNW 12 | S 9 | WNW 12 | S 9 | W 22 |
| kJ | 56 | 4 | 80 | 109 | 49 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 53 | 54 | 51 | 81 | 39 | 14 | 1 | 55 | 2 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 12 | WNW 4 | — | W 11 | W 3 | — | — | — | — | W 6 | WNW 3 | W 4 | W 5 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 142 | 26 | — | 82 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 6 | 52 | 37 | — | 133 | 114 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 53 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 135 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 311 | 0 | 144 | 341 | 0 | 150 | 2 | 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 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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