Surf Forecasts:
Refugio State Beach surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with 751 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s 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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 16s. 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 1.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Refugio State Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long look at what’s brewing for the next couple of weeks.
Well, straight up, the start of this outlook is a bit of a slow grind. The first few days are looking pretty flat and messy, not really worth paddling out for. The real window of opportunity starts to crack open around Thursday afternoon and then stretches through the first week of September, with a few good windows to pick from.
The best swell direction for this spot is from the West, and we’ll see a solid push of long-period Southern Hemisphere groundswell filling in. The water is cooking right now, a full 68.4°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.
The standout session is Thursday, 27 August afternoon. The wind drops to glassy, which is a rare treat, and the swell is a clean 3.3 ft coming from the South with a 12-second period. The combined swell energy is 478, which is a solid, rideable pulse. It’s a point and beach setup, so that long period will offer some nice lines on the point. Crowds are often a factor here, and with the winds being that perfect, you can bet plenty of folks will have the same idea. It’s the pick of the whole run.
The other one to circle is Tuesday, 1 September morning. The swell is a little smaller at 2.6 ft from the South, but the wind is glassy again, and the combined energy is 397. It’s another clean morning window when the conditions are set to be nice. For a mid-week session, it’s a solid bet.
After that first week of September, the long-range stuff into the second week looks more inconsistent. The swell sticks around in the 2.3 ft to 3.0 ft range, but the winds start to get messy with more cross-on and cross-off breezes, and the surf quality drops off. That chase for a clean wave gets a lot harder. There’s a late pulse of 2.6 ft swell from the SW on Wednesday, 9 September morning with a long 18-second period, but the wind is onshore, so it’s a gamble.
Overall, don’t waste your energy on the first few days. Wait for that glassy Thursday afternoon, or the Tuesday morning glass-off. Those are your best shots.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Fri morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 12 | WNW 8 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 167 | 125 | 276 | 408 | 359 | 199 | 280 | 266 | 251 | 322 | 329 | 751 | 601 | 532 | 612 | 344 | 330 | 325 | 178 | 163 | 219 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:51AM1.53m | 8:35PM2.09m | 10:11AM1.59m | 9:11PM2.10m | 10:31AM1.65m | 9:47PM2.07m | 10:53AM1.73m | 10:24PM1.98m | 11:16AM1.80m | 11:03PM1.85m | 11:41AM1.87m | 11:47PM1.69m | 12:09PM1.93m | 00:39AM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:30PM1.07m | 3:43AM0.26m | 3:07PM0.99m | 4:09AM0.27m | 3:44PM0.90m | 4:33AM0.33m | 4:23PM0.82m | 4:57AM0.42m | 5:05PM0.75m | 5:21AM0.54m | 5:51PM0.69m | 5:45AM0.68m | 6:44PM0.65m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 35 | 27 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 27 | 35 | 35 | 26 | 32 | 33 | 22 | 29 | 31 | 19 | 26 | 28 | 19 |
Feels °C | 31 | 33 | 24 | 34 | 33 | 27 | 31 | 33 | 24 | 33 | 33 | 24 | 31 | 31 | 19 | 27 | 28 | 16 | 24 | 25 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 12 |
| kJ | 167 | 87 | 276 | 408 | 359 | 131 | 119 | 266 | 144 | 64 | 329 | 751 | 601 | 532 | 612 | 344 | 330 | 325 | 178 | 163 | 146 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 7 | SW 16 | S 11 | S 12 | WNW 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 89 | 125 | 159 | 70 | 118 | 198 | 280 | 107 | 174 | 322 | 41 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 41 | 42 | 99 | 112 | 75 | 118 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 13 | W 15 | SW 16 | W 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 8 | S 10 | S 16 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 12 | — | SW 19 | SSE 9 | SSW 19 |
| kJ | 11 | 17 | 39 | 159 | 55 | 104 | 103 | 102 | 89 | 91 | 87 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 14 | — | 15 | 9 | 36 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 31 | 59 | 87 | 109 | 75 | 199 | — | 187 | 251 | 197 | 171 | 154 | 232 | 249 | 215 | 277 | 249 | 138 | 177 | 173 | 219 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 170 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 21 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 22 | 56 | 2 | 22 | 21 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 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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