Surf Forecasts:
Refugio State Beach surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s period, S swell with 1,945 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 18s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Refugio State Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Refugio State Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Refugio State Beach in the next 16 days are 2.2m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Refugio State Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way.
The next couple of weeks start off pretty flat and messy. We’ve got a bit of a wait before anything worth paddling out for shows up. For the first several days, the energy is weak, the wind is mostly cross or onshore, and the conditions just aren’t there. Hang tight.
Things start to get interesting on Sunday the 6th of September. The morning is looking glassy with a S swell at 5ft, period of 14 seconds, and the combined energy is climbing right up to 949. That’s a solid push of moderate-to-strong energy. The wind is glass—dead calm, a major positive. This will likely be the best window for a clean session.
Monday the 7th of September afternoon is the standout of the whole run. The swell builds to 7ft from the S, with that same 14-second period. The combined energy is massive at 1978, which is strong. More importantly, the wind is glassy again. This is big, clean, powerful surf. That said, at 7ft, this is strictly for experienced surfers. The water temperature is running about 4° warmer than average for this time of year, so it’s much warmer than normal—ditch the thick wetsuit.
For the rest of the second week, the swell drops off and the wind becomes more problematic. There are days with clean cross-off breezes, but the swell height is down around 2ft to 3ft and the energy is moderate at best. Nothing that matches the punch of that Sunday-Monday window.
The break here is Refugio State Beach. It’s a beach and point setup, fairly consistent overall, but has crowds often, so expect company if it’s good. The direction of the swell is mostly S to SSW, which is fine for this spot’s exposure. There are no other breaks in the data to compare, so this is the only game in town.
If you’re a beginner, wait for the smaller days later in the second week when the swell is under 5ft, but keep an eye on the wind. The real magic is that Sunday-Monday window, especially Monday afternoon. That’s the one to circle.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SW 18 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 96 | 109 | 166 | 173 | 249 | 152 | 319 | 497 | 487 | 417 | 441 | 377 | 372 | 440 | 919 | 1012 | 1143 | 1608 | 1945 | 1218 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy | on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:48AM1.33m | 1:27PM1.97m | 3:39AM1.21m | 2:26PM1.96m | 6:25AM1.24m | 3:45PM1.97m | 7:36AM1.36m | 5:09PM2.02m | 8:09AM1.46m | 6:22PM2.11m | 8:39AM1.57m | 7:23PM2.18m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:48PM0.63m | 6:36AM0.98m | 9:08PM0.60m | 7:06AM1.11m | 10:42PM0.52m | 8:03AM1.24m | 00:03AM0.40m | 10:26AM1.29m | 1:05AM0.26m | 12:08PM1.23m | 1:54AM0.16m | 1:17PM1.09m | 2:35AM0.11m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 17 | 24 | 27 | 18 | 24 | 27 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 20 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 24 |
Feels °C | 23 | 14 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 23 | 24 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 13 | S 14 | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 |
| kJ | 96 | 64 | 166 | 173 | 189 | 126 | 319 | 497 | 487 | 417 | 307 | 423 | 521 | 440 | 919 | 1012 | 1143 | 1608 | 1945 | 1218 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | NW 9 | NW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 |
| kJ | 58 | 50 | 132 | 129 | 249 | 152 | 85 | 97 | 66 | 253 | 441 | 377 | 372 | 287 | 13 | 21 | 18 | 31 | 26 | 17 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 10 | SW 8 | — | SSW 20 | S 10 | SSE 15 | WNW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | WNW 6 | SW 11 | NW 10 | SW 10 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SE 14 | NW 13 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 50 | 109 | 10 | 3 | — | 152 | 50 | 44 | 67 | 43 | 85 | 18 | 55 | 23 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 54 | 7 | 50 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | NW 5 | NW 4 | WNW 5 | NW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 10 | WNW 4 | NW 6 | WNW 10 | NW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 61 | 41 | 29 | 63 | 47 | 35 | 88 | 32 | 16 | 190 | 25 | 39 | 178 | 21 | 16 | 26 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 21 | 0 | 3 | 330 | 0 | 3 | 293 | 0 | 126 | 22 | 0 | 33 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Refugio State Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Refugio State Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Refugio State Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Refugio State Beach 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 (Refugio State Beach) 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 Refugio State Beach 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.
Refugio State Beach is 21 km (13 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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