Surf Forecasts:
Tarpits surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SSW swell with 264 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 15s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tarpits this week:
The surf forecast for Tarpits over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tarpits in the next 16 days are 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tarpits over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the only game in town for the next couple of weeks: Tarpits.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a rough stretch ahead. The good news is there *is* a window of clean surf, but you’re gonna have to be patient because most of the first two weeks are pretty hopeless. We’ve got a big gap of poor conditions from August 30th right through until the morning of September 6th. That’s over a week of small, onshore junk that’s barely worth a look. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1 to 2ft, with a short, weak period that’s all windswell, and the combined energy is weak (86 to 338). Wind is almost always on it from the SW or WSW, so it’s not going to be clean.
The one standout, and I mean the *only* real highlight, is the afternoon of Sunday, September 6th. The wind goes completely glassy, dead calm from the ENE at 0 mph. That’s a major positive. We’ve got a 2ft swell coming from the S with a 14-second period, giving us 306 combined energy (moderate). That long period means it’s proper groundswell, so it’ll have some shape to it, but remember at a beach-and-reef setup like Tarpits, that long period can mean the swell might break a bit straight on the beach. Still, glassy conditions are rare, and that’s your best chance for a clean, if small, wave. It’s beginner-friendly at this size.
Beyond that, things look bleak. The morning of September 8th has a marginal look with a 2ft SSW swell, but the wind is cross-shore, so it’s not glassy. The next afternoon on the 8th bumps up to 4ft from the SSW with 421 energy (moderate), but it’s light cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. By September 9th, the swell gets a bit bigger (4ft) but the period drops to 10 seconds, and the wind is on it again.
If you’re a beginner, the 2ft glassy session on September 6th is your only real chance for a fun, clean paddle. For more experienced surfers, there’s nothing here that’s going to get the heart racing. Crowds at Tarpits can be an issue sometimes, but given how poor the forecast is, I doubt you’ll have much company.
Water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun morning, min 19°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 19°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 10 | S 13 | SW 17 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 284 | 193 | 186 | 138 | 116 | 71 | 68 | 68 | 44 | 63 | 33 | 84 | 72 | 88 | 86 | 211 | 188 | 179 | 223 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:57PM1.90m | 11:33AM1.91m | 11:39PM1.74m | 12:02PM1.97m | 00:30AM1.55m | 12:36PM2.00m | 1:36AM1.36m | 1:19PM2.01m | 3:25AM1.23m | 2:18PM1.99m | 6:21AM1.26m | 3:39PM2.00m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:14AM0.53m | 5:43PM0.69m | 5:38AM0.67m | 6:35PM0.66m | 6:02AM0.83m | 7:38PM0.64m | 6:28AM0.98m | 8:59PM0.62m | 6:57AM1.12m | 10:35PM0.55m | 7:50AM1.25m | 11:59PM0.41m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:20 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 27 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 9 | W 8 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | SSE 11 | W 5 | W 5 | S 13 | W 6 | S 11 | SSW 15 | W 5 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | W 5 |
| kJ | 76 | 99 | 90 | 45 | 21 | 14 | 19 | 7 | 38 | 18 | 8 | 84 | 30 | 61 | 85 | 43 | 188 | 179 | 34 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SW 13 | S 11 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | S 12 | W 5 | SSW 11 | SSW 18 | W 5 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 284 | 193 | 186 | 138 | 116 | 71 | 42 | 40 | 44 | 63 | 33 | 67 | 71 | 8 | 37 | 211 | 12 | 113 | 223 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 14 | S 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | S 10 | W 10 | SW 17 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSE 11 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 6 | 15 | 13 | 29 | 28 | 49 | 68 | 68 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 2 | 72 | 88 | 86 | 78 | 47 | 12 | 48 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | W 5 | W 5 | W 6 | — | W 4 | W 5 | — | W 5 | WNW 5 | W 4 | W 5 | WNW 5 | W 5 | W 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 6 |
| kJ | 150 | 29 | 49 | 88 | — | 17 | 28 | — | 4 | 40 | 15 | 12 | 48 | 11 | 11 | 148 | 35 | 18 | 110 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 76 | 4 | 0 | 121 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 285 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Tarpits 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 Tarpits Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tarpits provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tarpits can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tarpits 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 (Tarpits) 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 Tarpits 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.
Tarpits is 16 km (10 miles) from the city of Santa Ana. If you plan a vacation in Santa Barbara, look for hotels and other accommodation in Santa Ana. Santa Ana has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest