Staying Home Sucks, home
Carpinteria - panoramio (10)
Near Jelly Bowl. Photo: bahniuk, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Jelly Bowl

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

31Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft14 shollow
Energy
290kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
363kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 34 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
234kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 18 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
226kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
342kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 26 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
234kJ
Wind
SSE 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 23 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
323kJ
Wind
WSW 1 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 212, too small
  2. Tue 324, too small
  3. Wed 442, too small
  4. Thu 534, too small
  5. Fri 618, too small
  6. Sat 736, too small
  7. Sun 826, too small
  8. Mon 923, too small
  9. Tue 1029, too small
  10. Wed 1140, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Aug5 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Jelly Bowl, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov12, too small2 ft16 shollow2 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the west, 3 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov24, too small3 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.)290kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov42, too small5 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)363kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov34, too small4 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)234kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov18, too small4 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)226kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov36, too small4 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)342kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore27°C
Sun 8Nov26, too small3 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)234kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot26°C
Mon 9Nov23, too small4 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)323kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot26°C
Tue 10Nov29, too small4 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)372kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot25°C
Wed 11Nov40, too small4 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)425kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot23°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 04:46 +0.4 mLow 10:01 −0.1 mHigh 15:36 +0.6 mLow 22:38 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:26 +0.6 mLow 11:18 −0.3 mHigh 16:58 +0.5 mLow 23:28 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:02 +0.7 mLow 12:16 −0.5 mHigh 18:06 +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 experts: 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Jelly Bowl

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

The spot faces SW (203°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (23°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). 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 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best month is usually August, with about 5 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carpinteria, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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$1,110–US$2,030 each

about US$1,110–US$2,030 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$67–US$114
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$1,110–US$2,030

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

Carpinteria

about 5 min by car · 17 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 17 places to stay in Carpinteria · Booking.com

About Carpinteria its beds, food and every spot near it

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 15m

About 7h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 50 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.