Surf Forecasts:
Isla Vista surf forecast from 20 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SW swell with 330 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 20 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s 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 Sunday (Sep 20) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Isla Vista in the next 16 days are 0.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 21st Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Isla Vista over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 17°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 20°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | Friday 25 | Saturday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 9 | SSW 13 | S 13 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 252 | 252 | 241 | 273 | 330 | 214 | 201 | 203 | 203 | 181 | 188 | 135 | 136 | 125 | 163 | 88 | 87 | 232 | 181 | 161 | 115 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:18AM1.46m | 5:56PM1.77m | 8:29AM1.52m | 6:48PM1.84m | 8:43AM1.58m | 7:31PM1.90m | 8:57AM1.66m | 8:11PM1.94m | 9:14AM1.75m | 8:50PM1.94m | 9:33AM1.86m | 9:31PM1.90m | 9:55AM1.96m | 10:13PM1.82m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:12PM1.32m | 1:30AM0.46m | 1:02PM1.21m | 2:01AM0.41m | 1:40PM1.09m | 2:28AM0.39m | 2:16PM0.95m | 2:53AM0.40m | 2:52PM0.80m | 3:17AM0.44m | 3:30PM0.65m | 3:42AM0.52m | 4:09PM0.52m | 4:07AM0.63m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | — | 6:59 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:55 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:51 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 22 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | SW 18 | WNW 6 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | S 13 | S 12 |
| kJ | 35 | 252 | 33 | 273 | 330 | 214 | 201 | 203 | 41 | 70 | 158 | 135 | 91 | 88 | 163 | 79 | 75 | 232 | 149 | 161 | 103 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | WNW 7 | S 12 | S 12 | W 5 | WNW 9 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 252 | 29 | 241 | 48 | 25 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 203 | 181 | 188 | 106 | 136 | 125 | 91 | 72 | 66 | 70 | 181 | 55 | 54 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | S 9 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 9 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | WNW 8 | NW 12 | S 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | S 8 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 29 | 2 | 14 | 26 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 37 | 2 | 50 | 40 | 39 | 20 | 88 | 87 | 44 | 52 | 1 | 23 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 7 | — | WNW 7 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 4 | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | — | 34 | — | 42 | 45 | 33 | 17 | 24 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 58 | — | — | 149 | 115 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 66 | 110 | 0 | 70 | 36 | 0 | 150 | 2 | 0 | 150 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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