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Tajuigas Ranch
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 14 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 446kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 78 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 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 367kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 514kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 636kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 340kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 140, too small
- Mon 246, fair
- Tue 378, good
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 753, fair
- Sun 870, good
- Mon 960, good
- Tue 1055, 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.
Tajuigas Ranch does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft16 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 446kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 78, 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 | 53, fair | 5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 367kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 514kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 636kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 70, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 60, good | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 423kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 530kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 22°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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Live webcam
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Live webcam
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.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.