Big Drakes
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 14 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 661kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 920kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 913kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 301kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 784kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,006kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 564kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 147, fair
- Mon 251, fair
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 518, poor
- Fri 629, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 842, poor
- Mon 915, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 255kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft16 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 661kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 5 ft14 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 920kJ | offshorewind from the north, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 913kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, poor | 5 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 301kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, poor | 5 ft13 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 784kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,006kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, poor | 5 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 564kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, poor | 6 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 658kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 638kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 0 knots | 21°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:09 +0.3 mLow 08:20 +0.1 mHigh 14:11 +0.7 mLow 21:48 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:57 +0.4 mLow 10:09 −0.1 mHigh 15:42 +0.6 mLow 22:46 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:37 +0.6 mLow 11:26 −0.3 mHigh 17:04 +0.5 mLow 23:36 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot and its town
Big Drakes on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Live webcam
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In Goleta, the nearest town, 47 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- El Capitan 28.5 km away
- ED's 32.2 km away
- Naples 35.1 km away
- Seals 36.2 km away
- Driftwoods 37.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Big Drakes
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (174°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (354°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 29). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Goleta. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,200–US$2,160 each
about US$1,200–US$2,160 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$529 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,200–US$2,160 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
26 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Jalama its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Goleta on Booking.com
82 min by car · 15 places to stay
Nearest beds: Goleta, 47 km (about 1h 25m by car)
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 7h 30m
About 7h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.