Mesa Lane
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 262kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 460kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 485kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 176kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 351kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 347kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 249kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 117, too small
- Mon 234, too small
- Tue 367, good
- Wed 441, poor
- Thu 569, good
- Fri 662, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 867, good
- Mon 972, good
- Tue 1072, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–7 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Jan3 good days in 7
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 | 17, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft16 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 67, good | 3 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 460kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 41, poor | 5 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 485kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 69, good | 4 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 62, good | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 351kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 347kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 67, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 249kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 72, good | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 295kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 72, good | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 360kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 25°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 04:00 +0.3 mLow 08:12 +0.1 mHigh 14:07 +0.7 mLow 21:43 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:50 +0.4 mLow 10:04 −0.1 mHigh 15:39 +0.6 mLow 22:41 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:30 +0.6 mLow 11:22 −0.3 mHigh 17:01 +0.5 mLow 23:31 −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.
Best time to go
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Mesa Lane 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 Mesa Lane
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More surf near here
5 places
- Hendry's beach - arroyo burro 1.3 km away
- Lighthouse 2.2 km away
- Leadbetter 3 km away
- Sandspit 4.1 km away
- Hope Ranch 4.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mesa Lane
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 3 good days in 7; in August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Barbara, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,080–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
| 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$33–US$54 |
| 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$1,080–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
7 min by car · 93 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Santa Barbara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Goleta on Booking.com
17 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Isla Vista on Booking.com
21 min by car · 18 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 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.