Santa Barbara County
Jalama Beach surf report
6.2ft
Big — 6.2 ft.
Sunday, September 27 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
6.2 ft
13 s · S191°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
66.7°F
19.3 °C
Daylight
6:53 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:51 PM
Rip current risk
Moderate risk
Life threatening rip currents are possible.
NWS surf forecast: 2–4 ft (today, Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast)
Every level, including Low, describes currents that can kill — how to spot one from the beach and what to do if you are caught.
Tide
Currently rising — next high at 10:32 AM (5.523 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 4:22 AM | low | 1.072 ft |
| 10:32 AM | high | 5.523 ft |
| 5:05 PM | low | 0.457 ft |
| 11:12 PM | high | 4.489 ft |
Tide values are predictions. Wind, pressure and surge move the real water level, sometimes by a lot — see the disclaimer.
Forecast
Model output, not a measurement — NOAA WaveWatch III
| Day | Height | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 5.4 ft | 8.8 s | SE 132° |
| Sun | 5.1 ft | 8.3 s | SE 131° |
| Mon | 2.1 ft | 12.6 s | N 10° |
| Tue | 6.1 ft | 8.6 s | SE 128° |
| Wed | 6 ft | 9.8 s | SE 127° |
| Thu | 3.8 ft | 9.2 s | SE 126° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 66.7 °F (19.3 °C), most people at Jalama Beach are comfortable in a 3/2 mm full suit.
3/2 mm
for 62–68 °F
The workhorse of temperate water. 3 mm on the body, 2 mm on the limbs.
The temperature is measured. The suit recommendation is not — it follows the manufacturers' convention, which varies by a degree or two between brands, and it knows nothing about wind, session length or how you personally run. The full chart and what it leaves out.
Surf cam
No cam here yet. We operate no cameras of our own and embed only where the operator allows it — the rule is on the copyright page. Cam operators who would like a link are welcome to write.
The break
- Type
- Exposed beach and reef break at Tarantulas
- Best swell
- W to NW groundswell - it catches almost everything
- Best wind
- Offshore E; the site is famously windy
- Tide
- Mid tide
- Level
- Advanced
Hazards
- Strong wind most afternoons
- Powerful rip currents
- Remote - no quick help, and cold water
Local knowledge, not a measurement. Conditions decide the day — check the National Weather Service for warnings and the lifeguards for whether to go in.
Every source behind this page
- Solunar computed · read 6:38 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 46218 model cycle 20260927 6z · model · read 6:38 AM
- NDBC 46218 buoy wave height · read 5:56 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 9411406 tide predictions · read 6:38 AM
- NWS Surf Zone Forecast LOX zone CAZ349 · read 1:11 AM
All of it is public NOAA and National Weather Service data, free for anyone to use. What we add is the pairing of this spot with these stations — see the terms.
Nearby spots
- Campus Point 3.6 ft · 61 km
- Pismo Beach 5.6 ft · 71 km
- Santa Barbara 3.6 ft · 75 km
- Malibu (Surfrider) 2 ft · 176 km
- Narragansett 7.5 ft · 4309 km
Surf and beach conditions change faster than this page does, and nobody watches it in real time. When the water looks different from the numbers, trust the water and the lifeguards.