Seals Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Barbara, USA)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Seals Surf Guide

Seals in Santa Barbara is a reasonably exposed reef break that has reasonably consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the north. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the optimum swell angle is from the southwest. Even when the surf is up, crowds are unknown. Take care of - Private beach.

Seals Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	fairly consistent	14.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Seals:

The best conditions reported for surf at Seals occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Seals (for consistent clean waves)?

septemberBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Seals with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of September. Clean surfable waves are typically found 32% of the time in September while 32% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 36% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

32%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

32%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

36%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Seals Location Map

Interactive Seals surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Seals is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG) in USA, 67 km (42 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Seals is Point Mugu Nas Airport (NTD), also in USA, 83 km (52 miles) away.

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

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Seals Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 3 May 2026, 23:51 Local Time

m, °C	Sun		Mon
ft, °F	8PM	11PM	2AM	5AM
Wave (m)	WNW	NW	NW	WNW
Period (s)	18	16	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	off	off

Tides at Seals

Current tide and informaton

For Isla Vista, 8 km from Seals.

Next High Water: 01:23pm | 1.38m

Next Low Water: 06:24am | 0.34m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Seals Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.8 °C) at Seals is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (18.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 14.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite