Santa Barbara

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic roars back to life in October, and Santa Barbara's north-east-facing stretch of coast starts to feel the full force of winter groundswell. Average surf heights climb from 1.8m (5.9ft) in September to 2.4m (7.9ft) in October, peak at 2.9m (9.5ft) in December and January, and stay solid through March. Average swell periods sit between 11.7 and 12.2s during these months, which means powerful, long-period swells generated by deep Atlantic low-pressure systems. The frustrating catch is that ideal S/SW/WSW offshore winds only occur around 12-15% of the time, while N/NE winds are often blowing onshore or cross-shore. Still, when a low-pressure system stalls near Iberia and a SW wind grooms the swell, this is when Santa Barbara pumps.