Surf Forecasts:
Isla Vista surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 20s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SW swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 16 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with SW 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 Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. 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 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 2PM. 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+) | 5AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 20s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 21st Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Isla Vista over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch is looking flat as a pancake for Isla Vista. There's no decent surf on the cards, not even a blip of something fun. The first week is a write-off, and the second week doesn’t offer anything either.
We’re looking at a continuous gap from Wednesday, September 16th all the way through to the end of the forecast on Thursday, October 1st. That's 16 days of nada.
The swell is tiny – never getting above 2 ft – and while the direction is from the SW, that's the *optimum* direction for Isla Vista, it’s just not showing up with any real energy. The combined swell energy values are all weak, staying under 400 (combined energy of all swells directed here), which tells the story. Periods are decent, staying in that 13 to 21 second range, but with virtually no height, that doesn't mean a thing.
The wind is almost always light, from a cross-onshore or onshore direction. The water temperature is going to be about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.
I know it's tough to hear, but Isla Vista is a fairly exposed beach and reef setup, and it just needs a pulse of swell to work. Right now, it's asleep. This kind of blank run can happen, so don’t lose faith. Forecasts can change.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Fri afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 21 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 70 | 88 | 63 | 64 | 62 | 72 | 121 | 133 | 133 | 130 | 154 | 197 | 199 | 255 | 252 | 241 | 227 | 222 | 214 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:21AM1.29m | 1:08PM1.84m | 5:08AM1.24m | 3:16PM1.70m | 8:18AM1.41m | 4:47PM1.71m | 8:18AM1.46m | 5:56PM1.77m | 8:29AM1.52m | 6:48PM1.84m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 6:19AM1.13m | 9:08PM0.66m | 5:56AM1.24m | 10:39PM0.66m | 11:58PM0.61m | 10:39AM1.39m | 00:51AM0.53m | 12:12PM1.32m | 1:30AM0.46m | 1:02PM1.21m | 2:01AM0.41m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — | — | 6:58 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 20 |
Feels °C | 21 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | W 8 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 7 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | W 7 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | WNW 7 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 70 | 30 | 63 | 64 | 18 | 54 | 121 | 133 | 133 | 59 | 32 | 197 | 199 | 255 | 252 | 241 | 45 | 222 | 214 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 18 | WNW 4 | SW 16 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | WNW 7 | W 5 |
| kJ | 39 | 88 | 55 | 6 | 62 | 72 | 64 | 69 | 61 | 130 | 154 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 14 | 227 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 19 | S 18 | SSE 9 | WNW 8 | S 16 | S 15 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 15 | S 10 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | 29 | 55 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 40 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 5 | W 4 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | W 5 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 61 | 36 | 29 | — | 23 | 17 | 21 | 11 | 19 | 36 | — | 40 | 46 | 56 | 81 | 62 | 59 | 17 | 61 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 150 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 144 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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 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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