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Refugio State Beach Surf Forecast
/ CAL – Santa Barbara (36 breaks) / California (404 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Refugio State Beach surfForecast / CAL – Santa Barbara / USA
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 4 am Tuesday 12 May 2026 PDTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Refugio State Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Refugio State Beach sea temperature is
14.4° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)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 Tuesday (May 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Refugio State Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 17) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Monday (May 18) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 12th May) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 17th May) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 17th May) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Refugio State Beach over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the NW by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 12 | Wednesday 13 | Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | |
242 | 188 | 173 | 161 | 412 | 394 | 593 | 638 | 627 | 399 | 611 | 1080 | 1267 | 1719 | 1801 | 1717 | 2417 | 2037 | 1001 | 642 | 436 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | on | glassy | on | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | |
High Tide | 7:22PM1.94m | 7:45AM1.56m | 7:48PM2.10m | 8:45AM1.57m | 8:20PM2.26m | 9:43AM1.57m | 8:57PM2.38m | 10:42AM1.56m | 9:38PM2.45m | 11:42AM1.53m | 10:23PM2.45m | 12:45PM1.50m | 11:13PM2.39m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:45PM0.67m | 1:55AM0.66m | 1:20PM0.74m | 2:39AM0.40m | 1:57PM0.82m | 3:24AM0.18m | 2:36PM0.91m | 4:12AM0.01m | 3:17PM0.99m | 5:03AM-0.08m | 4:01PM1.07m | 5:56AM-0.09m | 4:49PM1.15m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:57 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 16 | 23 | 22 | 12 | 21 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 21 | 16 |
19 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 19 | 15 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 |
 kJ | 234 | 180 | 173 | 135 | 278 | 183 | 593 | 373 | 416 | 399 | 220 | 156 | 165 | 165 | 115 | 102 | 90 | 58 | 1001 | 642 | 436 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WNW 18 | NW 16 | S 15 | S 11 | SW 18 | S 18 | S 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 242 | 188 | 133 | 161 | 120 | 234 | 295 | 284 | 256 | 242 | 31 | 67 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 24 | 24 | 53 | 30 | 29 | 73 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 13 | S 12 | WNW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 16 | SW 19 | S 15 | — | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 9 | 29 | 27 | 37 | 62 | 160 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 15 | 4 | — | 12 | 12 | 13 | 46 | 42 | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | WNW 8 | — | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | SE 3 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 412 | 394 | — | 638 | 627 | — | 611 | 1080 | 1267 | 1719 | 1801 | 1717 | 2417 | 2037 | 2 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 170 | 34 | 0 | 170 | 3 | 0 | 168 | 22 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 56 | 330 | 21 | 3 | 36 | 0 | 117 | 22 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Refugio State Beach 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 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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