Refugio State Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.46° N 120.08° W

Issued: 4 pm 02 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Refugio State Beach sea temperature is
16.3° C

Slightly warmer than usual

Refugio State Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Refugio State Beach surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 18s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period, WNW swell with 769 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 2 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period with SSW 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 Thursday (Jul 02) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 18s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 9s is also forecast. 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 2.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 11PM. 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 Tuesday (Jul 07) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Thu 2nd Jul)2ft (0.6m) 15s
Best Surf 2AM (Wed 8th Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 18s
Most Powerful11PM (Thu 9th Jul)8ft (2.4m) 8s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's coming down the pike for our local stretch over the next couple of weeks. We're talking Refugio State Beach, a beach and point setup that's fairly consistent.

Right off the bat, the water is sitting at 61°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off, to be honest. Thursday the 2nd through Sunday the 6th are looking pretty poor. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft from the SSW, and the wind is just a mess of cross-onshore and onshore breezes, leaving it choppy and messy. For a spot like this, that's just not worth paddling out for. The wave energy is weak, coming in under 500, so there's just no grunt in the water. The best you can hope for in that stretch is a marginal session on Friday morning or Saturday morning, but honestly, don't get your hopes up.

We start seeing a little more promise around Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th. The swell bumps up a touch to 2ft - 3ft, but the cross-onshore wind is still a problem. The wave energy is building, hitting the 500 to 700 range, but the quality just isn't there. It's still marginal at best.

Now, hold on to your board. Things start to get interesting on Wednesday the 8th. That morning we see a 3ft SSW swell with a light cross-onshore breeze, and the energy is jumping to 1191. But the real standout comes that afternoon. We've got a clean, cross-offshore wind blowing from the NW at 12 mph, pushing a 3ft SSW swell. That's a solid trade-off: the wind is working with us, and the energy is still high at 840. It's gonna be clean, which is a major positive. That Wednesday afternoon is looking like the best bet of the first week.

Thursday the 9th is another day to circle on the calendar. The morning is still cross-onshore, but then the afternoon hits. We get a 8ft swell from the WNW, but here's the thing: the period is short at 8 seconds. That means it's a wind swell, but the energy is at 962. The wind goes cross-offshore from the NW at 9 mph, creating clean conditions. That kind of size with offshore wind at Refugio is a special thing, but that 8ft is getting up there, so it'll be for the more experienced crew. It's a clean, punchy wave, but keep your wits about you.

After that peak, the surf settles back down for the second week. Friday the 10th brings a 5ft WNW swell, but the wind is cross-onshore again, so the quality dips. Through the weekend and into the middle of the next week, we're back to small, marginal conditions with SSW swells around 2ft to 3ft and onshore winds. It's a bit of a flat spell, honestly. The energy drops back into the 200s and 400s. There are a few windows with 3ft to 4ft WNW swells around the 14th and 15th, but the wind is never quite right, so it's all marginal at best.

If I had to pick the one true standout, it's Thursday the 9th afternoon. That's the biggest, cleanest swell of the entire run. For a more consistent but smaller wave, Wednesday the 8th afternoon is your safest bet with that clean, offshore wind. The rest is a waiting game.

Stay safe out there.

- Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Thu
2
Friday
3
Saturday
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
0
2
1
1
2
1
0
2
1
0
2
0
0
2
1
1
3
2
2
3
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
15
0.8
SSW
16
0.7
SSW
16
0.6
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
14
0.6
SSW
14
0.6
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
17
0.7
SW
16
0.6
SSW
20
0.7
SSW
20
0.9
SSW
18
0.9
SSW
18
0.8
SSW
18
1
SSW
16
0.9
SSW
16
2.1
WNW
9
0.9
SSW
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
243
142
288
223
138
186
148
140
273
207
195
261
259
336
559
491
399
559
412
659
412
Wind (km/h)
15
WSW
5
N
10
SSW
10
WSW
5
N
10
SSW
10
SW
5
NNE
10
SW
15
W
10
NNW
10
W
15
WNW
15
NNW
10
WSW
15
WNW
10
NNW
10
WSW
20
NW
10
NNW
10
W
Wind State
cross-on
glassy
on
cross-on
glassy
on
cross-on
glassy
on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
High Tide
11:29PM2.00m
1:51PM1.51m
00:05AM1.88m
2:24PM1.56m
00:45AM1.72m
2:56PM1.63m
1:38AM1.54m
3:30PM1.73m
2:54AM1.37m
4:09PM1.84m
4:41AM1.25m
4:53PM1.96m
6:34AM1.23m
Low Tide
5:24PM1.20m
6:56AM0.33m
6:13PM1.21m
7:26AM0.42m
7:13PM1.20m
7:55AM0.53m
8:27PM1.15m
8:25AM0.65m
9:52PM1.04m
8:59AM0.78m
11:17PM0.85m
9:42AM0.92m
00:28AM0.62m
10:39AM1.03m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:52
5:52
5:52
5:52
5:54
5:54
5:54
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:15
8:15
8:15
8:15
8:15
8:15
8:15
8:15
 mm
Temp °C
20
17
21
23
20
22
24
20
24
26
21
25
28
20
26
29
21
27
30
21
29
Feels °C
19
16
20
22
20
21
22
19
23
24
19
23
25
17
24
27
18
26
28
18
27
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
15
0.8
SSW
16
0.7
SSW
16
0.6
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
14
0.6
SSW
14
0.6
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
17
0.7
SW
16
0.6
SSW
16
0.8
SSW
16
0.9
SSW
18
0.9
SSW
18
0.8
SSW
18
1
SSW
16
0.9
SSW
16
0.9
SSW
16
0.9
SSW
16
Energy kJ
243
142
288
223
138
186
140
138
273
207
195
261
171
322
559
491
399
559
412
417
412
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
SW
15
0.3
S
11
0.7
WNW
8
0.3
S
11
0.3
S
10
0.5
WNW
8
0.4
SSW
19
0.4
SSW
19
0.4
SSW
13
0.5
SSW
13
0.5
SSW
14
0.4
SSW
21
0.6
SSW
20
0.7
SSW
20
0.4
WNW
12
0.6
SSW
15
0.6
SSW
14
0.8
SSW
16
0.2
SSW
19
0.1
S
19
0.1
S
11
Energy kJ
106
21
72
20
18
37
148
140
68
99
107
180
259
336
55
142
140
343
37
7
2
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
S
11
0.2
SSW
18
0.3
S
11
0.2
SSW
21
0.2
SSW
21
0.4
SSW
19
0.3
SSW
10
0.3
S
10
0.3
S
9
0.3
S
9
0.4
SSW
22
0.4
NW
13
0.4
SSW
12
0.1
SE
10
0.1
S
10
0.3
SSW
11
0.1
S
10
0.3
S
19
0.1
S
9
0.6
SSW
16
0.1
S
11
Energy kJ
21
31
21
44
44
148
18
18
14
14
181
44
48
4
2
24
2
66
2
175
2
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
WNW
9
0.8
WNW
9
0.9
WNW
9
0.7
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
0.7
NW
8
0.7
WNW
8
0.7
WNW
4
0.6
WNW
8
0.9
WNW
4
1
WNW
5
0.9
WNW
5
1.4
WNW
5
1.5
WNW
6
1.1
WNW
7
1.8
WNW
6
1.8
NW
6
1.3
WNW
8
2
WNW
7
2.1
WNW
9
1.7
WNW
8
Energy kJ
100
90
132
65
75
69
62
13
54
33
44
30
109
138
113
226
237
223
389
659
379
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
Distance (km)
22
0
33
22
0
478
22
0
170
22
0
22
5
0
22
3
0
22
21
0
22
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
Best forecast wave conditions in United States
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
3
2
3
3
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
2
4
3
2
4
3
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
9
5
9
5
6
8
5
9
7
5
9
9
8
6
5
9
9
9
5
5
6
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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