Staying Home Sucks, home
El Estero, Carpinteria Dec 68
Carpinteria, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife from Sacramento, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

La conchita

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

73Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 70 out of 100

Swell
3 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
344kJ
Wind
N 1 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 68 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
364kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 77 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
245kJ
Wind
N 6 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 69 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
243kJ
Wind
W 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 82 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
317kJ
Wind
SSW 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 60 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
206kJ
Wind
NE 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 69 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
247kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 230, too small
  2. Tue 370, good
  3. Wed 468, good
  4. Thu 577, good
  5. Fri 669, good
  6. Sat 782, good
  7. Sun 860, good
  8. Mon 969, good
  9. Tue 1082, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best Aug–Nov3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at La conchita, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov30, too small2 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.)181kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots20°C
Tue 3Nov70, good3 ft14 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)344kJwind from the north, 1 knot, offshore20°C
Wed 4Nov68, good4 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)364kJwind from the north, 4 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov77, good4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)245kJwind from the north, 6 knots, offshore24°C
Fri 6Nov69, good4 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)243kJwind from the west, 1 knot26°C
Sat 7Nov82, good4 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)317kJwind from the south-south-west, 1 knot28°C
Sun 8Nov60, good3 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)206kJwind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore27°C
Mon 9Nov69, good3 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)247kJwind from the south, 2 knots24°C
Tue 10Nov82, good4 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)308kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot23°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 04:46 +0.4 mLow 10:01 −0.1 mHigh 15:36 +0.6 mLow 22:38 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:26 +0.6 mLow 11:18 −0.3 mHigh 16:58 +0.5 mLow 23:28 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:02 +0.7 mLow 12:16 −0.5 mHigh 18:06 +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 intermediates: 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About La conchita

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

The spot faces SW (214°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (34°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 41). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 3 good days in 7; in April and May, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carpinteria, 7.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 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$1,110–US$2,020 each

about US$1,110–US$2,020 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$67–US$114
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$1,110–US$2,020

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

Rincon California

about 5 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Rincon California · Booking.com

About Rincon California its beds, food and every spot near it

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 15m

About 7h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 50 min by road

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