Staying Home Sucks, home
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA, CA, USA - panoramio - Sergei Gussev (27)
Near Boat House. Photo: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Boat House

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

3Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 13 s), onshore wind, 21 kn (39 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
1,530kJ
Wind
NW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,321kJ
Wind
N 12 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
107kJ
Wind
NNW 21 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
661kJ
Wind
N 15 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,547kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,234kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,612kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 30, too big
  2. Wed 40, too big
  3. Thu 515, too small
  4. Fri 60, too big
  5. Sat 70, too big
  6. Sun 80, too big
  7. Mon 90, too big
  8. Tue 100, too big
  9. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–17 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Boat House, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov0, too big6 ft14 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,530kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,321kJwind from the north, 12 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov15, too small2 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)107kJwind from the north-north-west, 21 knots, offshore20°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)661kJwind from the north, 15 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,547kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,234kJwind from the north, 8 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,612kJwind from the north, 7 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,267kJwind from the north, 8 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,312kJwind from the north, 5 knots19°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

  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:41 +0.6 mLow 11:32 −0.3 mHigh 17:08 +0.5 mLow 23:40 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:16 +0.7 mLow 12:31 −0.5 mHigh 18:19 +0.5 m
  • Thu 5 NovLow 00:23 −0.7 mHigh 06:49 +0.8 mLow 13:20 −0.7 mHigh 19:20 +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.

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Boat House

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

The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 46). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Jalama.

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$1,200–US$2,170 each

about US$1,200–US$2,170 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 2 November 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$530
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
Totalabout US$1,200–US$2,170

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Jalama

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Closest

Jalama

about 25 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Jalama · Booking.com

About Jalama its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Jalama, 12 km (about 25 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 7h 55m

About 7h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 1h 35m by road

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

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