Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial-GoletaArea
Goleta, the nearest town, 15 km away. Photo: John Wiley User:Jw4nvc - Santa Barbara, California, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

ED's

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

35Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 6 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 28 out of 100

Swell
4 ft14 shollow
Energy
557kJ
Wind
WNW 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 53 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
559kJ
Wind
NNW 6 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
349kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 35 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
520kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 47 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 shollow
Energy
740kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
248kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 15 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
478kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 215, too small
  2. Tue 328, too small
  3. Wed 453, fair
  4. Thu 517, too small
  5. Fri 635, too small
  6. Sat 747, fair
  7. Sun 812, too small
  8. Mon 915, too small
  9. Tue 1039, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

ED's does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at ED's, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov15, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov28, too small4 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)557kJwind from the west-north-west, 10 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov53, fair6 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)559kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov17, too small5 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)349kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Fri 6Nov35, too small5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)520kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov47, fair5 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)740kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots23°C
Sun 8Nov12, too small4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)248kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov15, too small5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)478kJwind from the south, 2 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov39, too small5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)573kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots21°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 04:52 +0.4 mLow 10:05 −0.1 mHigh 15:40 +0.6 mLow 22:43 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:32 +0.6 mLow 11:23 −0.3 mHigh 17:02 +0.5 mLow 23:33 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:08 +0.7 mLow 12:21 −0.5 mHigh 18:11 +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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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

Live webcam

press to load it

Live webcam

In Goleta, the nearest town, 15 km away

Webcams belong to their owners. Nothing from the webcam's site loads until you press the button.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About ED's

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

The spot faces S (196°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (16°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Goleta. Within 5 km we also list 3 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$1,080–US$1,960 each

about US$1,080–US$1,960 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 
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
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$33–US$54
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$1,080–US$1,960

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

Closest

Isla Vista

about 25 min by car · 18 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 18 places to stay in Isla Vista · Booking.com

About Isla Vista its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Goleta, 15 km (about 30 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

About 7h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 35 min by road

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