Perkos Surf Guide

Perkos in Santa Barbara is a fairly exposed beach and reef break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the north northeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the southwest.. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Beware of rips, rocks, private, locals and sharks.

Perkos Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef2fairly consistent
13.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Perkos:

The best conditions reported for surf at Perkos occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

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

februaryBest Season: autumn
The best time of year for surfing Perkos with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn  and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 11% of the time in February while 12% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 77% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
11%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
12%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
77%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Perkos Location Map

Interactive Perkos 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 Perkos is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG) in USA, 34 km (21 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Perkos is Point Mugu Nas Airport (NTD), also in USA, 125 km (78 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Perkos Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 09:03 Local Time
Monday 04
8AM11AM2PM5PM
Wave (m)
0.9
WNW
0.9
WNW
1.1
NW
1.2
WNW
Period (s) 15 15 14 14
Wind (km/h)
0
10
15
20
Wind State glass cross-
on
cross-
on
cross

Swell History at Perkos

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

Wind History at Perkos

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


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