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Tajuigas Ranch
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 14 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 446kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 662kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 694kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 514kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 636kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 340kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 139, too small
- Mon 243, poor
- Tue 379, good
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 753, fair
- Sun 871, good
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1057, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
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 | 39, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft16 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 446kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 79, good | 4 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 662kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 694kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 514kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 636kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 71, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 423kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 57, fair | 5 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 530kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 26°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 04:04 +0.3 mLow 08:16 +0.1 mHigh 14:09 +0.7 mLow 21:45 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:53 +0.4 mLow 10:06 −0.1 mHigh 15:40 +0.6 mLow 22:43 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:33 +0.6 mLow 11:24 −0.3 mHigh 17:02 +0.5 mLow 23:33 −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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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 and its town
Tajuigas Ranch 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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Live webcam
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In Goleta, the nearest town, 25 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- El Capitan 6.8 km away
- ED's 10.5 km away
- Naples 13.6 km away
- Seals 14.8 km away
- Driftwoods 16.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tajuigas Ranch
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (188°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (8°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 12). 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 1 surf spot.
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$1,100–US$2,000 each
about US$1,100–US$2,000 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$54–US$94 |
| 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$1,100–US$2,000 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
40 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
44 min by car · 15 places to stay
Nearest beds: Goleta, 25 km (about 45 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 10m
About 7h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.