Refugio State Beach surf break

Refugio State Beach surfForecast / CAL – Santa Barbara / USA

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 10 am Saturday 18 Apr 2026 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
14.5° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)

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 Saturday (Apr 18) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. 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 1.3m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Apr 21) at 11AM. 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 (Apr 22) at 8PM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Sat 18th Apr)2ft (0.6m) 14s
Best Surf 2AM (Fri 24th Apr)6ft (1.8m) 7s
Most Powerful11AM (Tue 21st Apr)4.5ft (1.3m) 12s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Refugio State Beach over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Wed afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Thu morning).

Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
1
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
3
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
0.6
SSW
0.6
SSW
0.6
SSW
0.5
SSW
0.6
SSW
0.5
SSW
0.5
SSW
0.5
SSW
0.6
WNW
1.3
WNW
1.2
WNW
0.8
WNW
1.3
W
0.6
S
1.7
WNW
1.3
WNW
0.7
S
1.8
WNW
1.5
WNW
0.5
S
0.5
S
Period(s) (?)1414141313131313141212129186916771413
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)16516315610214199989814053743915825722520024424235219210390
Wind
(km/h)
10
SSE
5
SW
5
E
10
SSW
10
WSW
5
N
10
S
10
SSW
10
E
10
SE
15
W
10
N
20
WNW
30
NW
15
NNW
5
WSW
20
WNW
10
NNW
5
SW
15
W
10
NNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
on
cross-
on
glassoncross-
on
glassononcross-
off
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
off
crosscross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
on
crosscross-
off
cross-
on
crosscross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
11:31AM
1.61
10:45PM
2.33
12:34PM
1.51
11:27PM
2.30
1:49PM
1.43
12:16AM
2.22
3:22PM
1.40
1:16AM
2.09
4:58PM
1.45
2:33AM
1.95
6:04PM
1.55
4:03AM
1.84
6:47PM
1.67
Low Tide
/ height (m)
4:26PM
0.92
6:01AM
0.09
5:03PM
1.04
7:00AM
0.11
5:46PM
1.16
8:06AM
0.18
6:43PM
1.27
9:20AM
0.24
8:19PM
1.35
10:33AM
0.30
10:22PM
1.31
11:38AM
0.34
11:57PM
1.17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Sunrise6:24--6:24--6:22--6:20--6:20--6:18--6:18--
Sunset-7:34--7:35--7:35--7:36--7:37--7:37--7:38-
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
mod rain
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
---------66----------
Temp. °C212218212115192014131613172013192113192014
Feels °C (?)181816181813161613913111213917189171811
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Refugio State Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest