Leadbetter Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Barbara, USA)

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Photo by: Steve Broeffle

Leadbetter Surf Guide

Leadbetter in Santa Barbara is a sheltered point break that has inconsistent surf with no particular seasonal pattern. The best wind direction is from the north. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the west. Best around low tide. Often Crowded. Watch out for rips and rocks.

Leadbetter Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Point	1
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
inconsistent	58°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Leadbetter:

The best conditions reported for surf at Leadbetter occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Leadbetter (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Leadbetter with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 8% of the time in January while 7% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 85% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

85%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Leadbetter Location Map

Interactive Leadbetter surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Leadbetter is Point Mugu Nas Airport (NTD) in USA, 62 km (39 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Leadbetter is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG), also in USA, 88 km (55 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (ft)
Live Wind Speed (mph)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (ft)
Wind Speed (mph)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Leadbetter Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Saturday, 17 May 2025, 00:41 Local Time

m, °C	Saturday 17
ft, °F	2AM	5AM	8AM	11AM
Wave (ft)	S	S	S	SSW
Period (s)	17	16	16	16
Wind (mph)
Wind State	glass	cross- off	cross- off	cross

What does Leadbetter look like?

Latest photos from Leadbetter. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Steve Broeffle Credit: Steve Broeffle

Tides at Leadbetter

Current tide and informaton

For Santa Barbara, California, 2 miles from Leadbetter.

Next High Water: 04:06pm | 3ft

Next Low Water: 08:09am | 0ft

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Leadbetter Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.3 °C) at Leadbetter is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (16.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 58°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Leadbetter

Surf stats for Leadbetter, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Leadbetter

Wind stats for Leadbetter, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Leadbetter Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 5 votes.

Overall:1.0
Quality on a good day:2.8
Consistency of Surf:2.4
Difficulty Level:2.2
Wind and Kite Surfing:3.2
Crowds:2.8
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

iRay from United States

“My favorite place to surf WHEN IT GETS BIG ! All the variables need to be in place. It only happens a few times per year. The east channel buoy must be bigger than 10 feet at 15 plus seconds. Leds doesn't start working until it's over head. Otherwise it's a small fickle. Once in a while it will pick up a south at the right angle. When Rincon is 10ft plus, Leds is the place to be. When it's inconsistent the stand up guys can be wave hogs.”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Leadbetter. Click below to view there surf guides.

Sandspit
- Beach/breakwater
- 4.0
Reliability: rarely breaks
2km away
Mesa
- Reef
- 1.0
Reliability: fairly consistent
3km away
Hendry's Beach
- Beach
- 2.0
Reliability: fairly consistent
4km away
Hammonds Reef
- Reef
- 3.0
Reliability: consistent
7km away
Miramar
- Point
- 3.0
Reliability: consistent
7km away

Wave Buoys Nearest To Leadbetter:

Closest Wave BuoyEast Santa Barbara Buoy13 mi
Second closest Wave BuoyAnacapa Passage, CA22 mi
Third closest Wave BuoySanta Barbara Buoy44 mi
Fourth closest Wave BuoySanta Cruz Basin, CA45 mi
Fifth closest Wave BuoySouth Santa Rosa Island Buoy58 mi

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Leadbetter Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Barbara, USA)

Leadbetter Surf Guide