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Ventura Overhead
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 123kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 275kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 286kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 174kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 221kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 229kJ
- Wind
- N 0 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 146kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 16, too small
- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 343, too small
- Wed 475, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 763, good
- Sun 855, fair
- Mon 958, fair
- Tue 1081, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Dec–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 | 6, too small | 1 ft10 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft14 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 75, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 286kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft12 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 221kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 63, good | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | offshorewind from the north, 0 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 81, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 269kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 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 03:52 +0.3 mLow 07:57 +0.1 mHigh 13:57 +0.7 mLow 21:34 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:42 +0.4 mLow 09:53 −0.1 mHigh 15:31 +0.6 mLow 22:33 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:22 +0.6 mLow 11:12 −0.3 mHigh 16:53 +0.5 mLow 23:23 −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 Dec–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
- Dec3of 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
Ventura Overhead 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Ventura Overhead
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More surf near here
5 places
- Emma Wood 0.2 km away
- Ventura Point 3.2 km away
- Solimar Reef 3.5 km away
- Chocoos 4.8 km away
- Mondos 6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ventura Overhead
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (222°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (42°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 40). 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 20°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and December, with about 3 good days in 7; in August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ventura, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 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$1,200–US$2,160 each
about US$1,200–US$2,160 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,160 |
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
6 min by car · 32 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Ventura its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Oxnard on Booking.com
27 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Rincon California on Booking.com
30 min by car · 1 place 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 40m
About 7h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 1h 15m by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.