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Driftwoods
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 6 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 144kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 474kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 530kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 302kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 432kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 424kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 111, too small
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 459, fair
- Thu 524, too small
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 733, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1042, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–19 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Driftwoods does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft14 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 474kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 59, fair | 6 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 530kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 24, too small | 5 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 302kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 5 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 432kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, too small | 5 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 424kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 4 ft11 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 347kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 42, too small | 5 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 428kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 23°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 04:02 +0.3 mLow 08:11 +0.1 mHigh 14:07 +0.7 mLow 21:44 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:51 +0.4 mLow 10:04 −0.1 mHigh 15:39 +0.6 mLow 22:42 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:31 +0.6 mLow 11:21 −0.3 mHigh 17:00 +0.5 mLow 23:32 −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, its town, photos
Driftwoods 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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Photos of Driftwoods
Live webcam
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Live webcam
In Goleta, the nearest town, 9 km away
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Driftwoods
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 43). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Isla Vista, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 17°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$1,070–US$1,940 each
about US$1,070–US$1,940 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,070–US$1,940 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
12 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Isla Vista its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Goleta on Booking.com
16 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Santa Barbara on Booking.com
36 min by car · 93 places to stay
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 6h 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 20 min by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.