Staying Home Sucks, home
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (27)
Near Boat House. Photo: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Boat House

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

70Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 10 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 53 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
1,498kJ
Wind
NW 9 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 78 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,250kJ
Wind
NNW 19 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 42 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 ssoft
Energy
615kJ
Wind
N 14 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 73 out of 100

Swell
7 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,517kJ
Wind
NNW 12 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 82 out of 100

Swell
10 ft13 ssoft
Energy
2,809kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 65 out of 100

Swell
8 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,274kJ
Wind
NNW 0 kn
Temp
23°C

Mon 9 · 68 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,117kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 236, too small
  2. Tue 353, fair
  3. Wed 478, good
  4. Thu 542, poor
  5. Fri 673, good
  6. Sat 782, good
  7. Sun 865, good
  8. Mon 968, good
  9. Tue 1071, good

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–17 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Boat House, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov36, too small4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)361kJwind from the north-west, 1 knot18°C
Tue 3Nov53, fair6 ft14 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,498kJwind from the north-west, 9 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov78, good8 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,250kJwind from the north-north-west, 19 knots, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov42, poor7 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)615kJwind from the north, 14 knots, offshore20°C
Fri 6Nov73, good7 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,517kJwind from the north-north-west, 12 knots, offshore21°C
Sat 7Nov82, good10 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,809kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Sun 8Nov65, good8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,274kJwind from the north-north-west, 0 knots, offshore23°C
Mon 9Nov68, good7 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,117kJwind from the south, 4 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov71, good8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,356kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots19°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

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:01 +0.4 mLow 10:17 −0.1 mHigh 15:46 +0.5 mLow 22:49 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:41 +0.6 mLow 11:32 −0.3 mHigh 17:08 +0.5 mLow 23:40 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:16 +0.7 mLow 12:31 −0.5 mHigh 18:19 +0.5 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

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Boat House

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 46). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Jalama.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$529
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout 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: Jalama

Closest

Jalama

about 25 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Jalama · Booking.com

About Jalama its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Jalama, 12 km (about 25 min 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 55m

About 7h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 1h 35m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.