Surf Forecasts:
Isla Vista surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, WNW swell with 404 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period with SSW 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 Saturday (Jul 04) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s 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 1.6m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 4th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Isla Vista over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, I’m looking at the next few weeks here in the Isla Vista zone. To be honest, it’s gonna be a pretty quiet stretch for paddle surfing. The waves are just going to be small and not in great shape for most of the run.
We start off from Saturday morning, July 4th, right through the first week. The combined swell energy is weak, sitting in the low to moderate range (217 to around 688) on the best days, but the wave heights are tiny—only 1 ft to 3 ft coming from the SSW. Most of the time the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, messing up any chance at clean waves. You’ll see a lot of “poor surf conditions” and “marginal” calls with scores that are not worth paddling out for. Towards the end of the first week, around Wednesday afternoon July 8th, the swell bumps up a bit to 5 ft but it’s short-period, only 9 seconds, from the WNW. With the onshore wind, it’s just gonna be choppy and junky—not the kind of surf that gets you excited.
Into the second week, it’s much of the same. The morning of Monday, July 13th, sees a little waist-high bump to 4 ft from the WNW, still a short period, but the combined energy is moderate (370). The wind is light, so it might just be worth a look if you’re desperate. Then on Tuesday afternoon, July 14th, we get a very rare moment of glassy conditions with super light wind—that southwest swell is only 3 ft at 9 seconds, and the combined energy is just 239. It’s surfable, but it’s pretty ordinary. Really nothing to write home about.
The standout, if you can call it that, would have to be the morning of Tuesday, July 7th. Swell is 2 ft from the SW, period is 18 seconds—that’s a long period groundswell. The combined energy is moderate at 540, and the wind is light offshore from the SW. That means clean, lined-up waves for Isla Vista’s beach and reef setup. But the wave height is small, so don’t expect any power. For the rest of the period through Sunday, July 19th, it’s just small, weak, and mostly choppy. There’s nothing here that will get your heart racing, folks.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 19°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Fri 10 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 79 | 120 | 125 | 82 | 176 | 121 | 145 | 171 | 171 | 298 | 319 | 356 | 276 | 339 | 322 | 404 | 216 | 181 | 235 | 146 | 191 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 00:03AM1.88m | 2:21PM1.56m | 00:44AM1.72m | 2:54PM1.63m | 1:36AM1.55m | 3:28PM1.73m | 2:52AM1.37m | 4:07PM1.84m | 4:39AM1.25m | 4:52PM1.97m | 6:32AM1.23m | 5:42PM2.10m | 8:00AM1.30m | 6:35PM2.24m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:24AM0.42m | 7:10PM1.20m | 7:53AM0.53m | 8:24PM1.15m | 8:23AM0.65m | 9:50PM1.04m | 8:57AM0.78m | 11:15PM0.85m | 9:41AM0.91m | 00:27AM0.62m | 10:37AM1.03m | 1:26AM0.38m | 11:44AM1.10m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
 | 8:15 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
Feels °C | 17 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 79 | 120 | 120 | 82 | 176 | 121 | 145 | 171 | 171 | 223 | 319 | 356 | 276 | 206 | 298 | 232 | 216 | 181 | 235 | 146 | 82 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | SSW 19 | W 7 | S 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 17 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 20 | S 18 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | S 19 | WNW 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 18 | 74 | 14 | 15 | 58 | 58 | 86 | 153 | 154 | 298 | 103 | 84 | 54 | 339 | 66 | 82 | 173 | 169 | 121 | 116 | 191 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | W 5 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 22 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | NW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | S 19 | S 9 | SSW 16 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 18 |
| kJ | 9 | 4 | 125 | 35 | 15 | 14 | 91 | 28 | 28 | 37 | 27 | 13 | 12 | 66 | 2 | 175 | 91 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | W 4 | W 4 | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 3 |
| kJ | 28 | 19 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 37 | 26 | 84 | 83 | 91 | 155 | 213 | — | 322 | 404 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 54 | 2 | 6 | 310 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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