Staying Home Sucks, home
Crab fishermen off the California coast, on Nov 15, 2019 (20181115-FPAC-LSC-0163)
Tajuigas Ranch. Photo: USDAgov, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Tajuigas Ranch

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

42Poor 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 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft14 shollow
Energy
666kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 43 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 shollow
Energy
673kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
23°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 shollow
Energy
341kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 35 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 shollow
Energy
721kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 58 out of 100

Swell
6 ft12 shollow
Energy
913kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 shollow
Energy
23kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 57 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 shollow
Energy
869kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 218, too small
  2. Tue 335, too small
  3. Wed 443, poor
  4. Thu 517, too small
  5. Fri 635, poor
  6. Sat 758, fair
  7. Sun 87, too small
  8. Mon 957, fair
  9. Tue 1049, fair
  10. Wed 1161, good

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.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Tajuigas Ranch, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov18, too small2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov35, too small4 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)666kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 4Nov43, poor6 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)673kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore23°C
Thu 5Nov17, too small5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)341kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov35, poor6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)721kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots27°C
Sat 7Nov58, fair6 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)913kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots26°C
Sun 8Nov7, too small1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the south, 2 knots27°C
Mon 9Nov57, fair6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)869kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov49, fair6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)616kJwind from the east, 1 knot26°C
Wed 11Nov61, good6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)848kJwind from the 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 04:53 +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
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:08 +0.7 mLow 12:22 −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 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.

Live webcam

press to load it

Live webcam

In Goleta, the nearest town, 25 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 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$2,010 each

about US$1,100–US$2,010 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$54–US$94
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$1,100–US$2,010

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

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 40 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, 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 7h 10m

About 7h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 45 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.