Refugio State Beach Surf Forecast

/ CAL – Santa Barbara (36 breaks) / California (404 breaks) /

USA (1297 breaks) / Lat Long: (34.46° N 120.08° W)

Surf Forecasts:

Refugio State Beach surfForecast / CAL – Santa Barbara / USA

12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 4 pm Wednesday 17 Sep 2025 PDT

Forecast 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 19.8° C
(Which is 2.6°C warmer than 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 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 17) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Refugio State Beach in the next 12 days are 1.1m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 23) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 24) at 2PM.

Wave Type	Time (PDT) & Date	Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)	11PM (Wed 17th Sep)	2.5ft (0.7m) 15s
Best Surf	11PM (Wed 17th Sep)	2.5ft (0.7m) 15s
Most Powerful	5PM (Tue 23rd Sep)	3.5ft (1.1m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Refugio State Beach over the next 12 days.

Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent

12 Days Hourly

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	Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 18°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.											Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 27°C on Sat afternoon, min 18°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.
	Wed 17		Thursday 18			Friday 19			Saturday 20			Sunday 21			Monday 22			Tuesday 23
	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM
Rating (10 max)	1	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	0
Swell Height Map See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)	SSW	S	SSW	SSW	WNW	S	S	S	S	S	S	SW	NW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	SW	WNW	SW	SW
Period(s) (?)	15	15	14	14	10	14	14	14	13	13	13	14	13	12	12	11	11	16	11	14	14
Wave Graph (?)
kJ (?)	234	215	215	210	160	134	146	148	125	83	82	71	80	94	153	143	151	157	291	167	167
Wind (km/h)	W	WNW	SW	ENE	SW	SE	W	NNW	W	WNW	NNW	W	W	N	S	SW	W	SSW	WSW	NNW	WSW
Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy	cross	glass	glass	glass	glass	glass	cross- on	cross- off	cross- on	cross	cross- off	cross- on	cross	off	cross- on	on	cross	on	cross- on	cross- off	cross- on
High Tide / height (m)	7:22PM 2.05		9:01AM 1.69		8:11PM 2.06	9:26AM 1.76		8:54PM 2.03	9:49AM 1.83		9:34PM 1.97	10:11AM 1.88		10:13PM 1.87	10:33AM 1.92		10:53PM 1.75	10:55AM 1.94		11:35PM 1.62	11:18AM 1.93
Low Tide / height (m)		2:27AM 0.23		2:14PM 0.95	3:01AM 0.26		2:55PM 0.83	3:30AM 0.34		3:34PM 0.72	3:57AM 0.45		4:11PM 0.63	4:21AM 0.57		4:49PM 0.57	4:43AM 0.71		5:27PM 0.54		5:05AM 0.85

	Wed 17		Thursday 18			Friday 19			Saturday 20			Sunday 21			Monday 22			Tuesday 23
Sunrise	-	-	6:45	-	-	6:45	-	-	6:46	-	-	6:47	-	-	6:48	-	-	6:48	-	-	6:48
Sunset	7:04	-	-	7:02	-	-	7:00	-	-	7:00	-	-	6:58	-	-	6:57	-	-	6:55	-	-

Rain (mm)	2	4	3	14	16	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-
Temp. °C	30	21	21	20	20	20	23	20	24	27	20	26	27	21	24	25	20	21	22	18	23
Feels °C (?)	29	22	24	23	23	22	24	21	24	26	19	26	27	22	24	26	21	21	22	18	22

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Recent Eyeball Surf Reports for CAL - Santa Barbara

Wind Update Still cross-shore at Refugio State Beach (light winds from the W at Santa Ynez Airport 16 km from Refugio State Beach). 0.7m 4s local chop from the W with a 0.5m 13s groundswell from the WSW and a 0.4m 13s groundswell from the SW as well as a 0.3m 11s groundswell from the W. 4 swells combining to make bigger set waves.
1 hour 56 minutes ago Refugio State Beach

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16 km away, 1 h 56 min ago

15 km/h

0.0

19.8

Air / Water (°C)

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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 12 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.