Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial-GoletaArea
Goleta, the nearest town, 15 km away. Photo: John Wiley User:Jw4nvc - Santa Barbara, California, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

ED's

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

37Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 6 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 26 out of 100

Swell
4 ft14 shollow
Energy
551kJ
Wind
NW 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 48 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
555kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 16 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
308kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 30 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
551kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 54 out of 100

Swell
6 ft12 shollow
Energy
732kJ
Wind
S 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 shollow
Energy
16kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
23°C

Mon 9 · 40 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 shollow
Energy
676kJ
Wind
SSW 1 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, too small
  2. Tue 326, too small
  3. Wed 448, fair
  4. Thu 516, too small
  5. Fri 630, too small
  6. Sat 754, fair
  7. Sun 86, too small
  8. Mon 940, too small
  9. Tue 1038, too small
  10. Wed 1154, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

ED's does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at ED's, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, too small2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.)141kJwind from the south-east, 3 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov26, too small4 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)551kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov48, fair6 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)555kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov16, too small5 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)308kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov30, too small5 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)551kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov54, fair6 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)732kJwind from the south, 3 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov6, too small1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the south, 1 knot23°C
Mon 9Nov40, too small6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)676kJwind from the south-south-west, 1 knot22°C
Tue 10Nov38, too small5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)545kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov54, fair6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)705kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore23°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 04:52 +0.4 mLow 10:05 −0.1 mHigh 15:40 +0.6 mLow 22:43 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:32 +0.6 mLow 11:23 −0.3 mHigh 17:02 +0.5 mLow 23:33 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:08 +0.7 mLow 12:21 −0.5 mHigh 18:11 +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.

Live webcam

press to load it

Live webcam

In Goleta, the nearest town, 15 km away

Webcams belong to their owners. Nothing from the webcam's site loads until you press the button.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About ED's

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

The spot faces S (196°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (16°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). 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 3 surf spots.

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$1,080–US$1,970 each

about US$1,080–US$1,970 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 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
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$34–US$54
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$1,080–US$1,970

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Isla Vista

about 25 min by car · 18 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 18 places to stay in Isla Vista · Booking.com

About Isla Vista its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Goleta, 15 km (about 30 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

About 7h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 35 min by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.