Carpinteria State Beach surf forecast
Carpinteria · California (Santa Barbara County) · United States
Today at Carpinteria State Beach: best around 09:00, 0.5 m at 8 s with offshore wind. Poor for intermediate surfers, poor–fair for beginners, poor for advanced. Updated 20 Oct, 18:50 UTC.
Carpinteria State Beach surf forecast, next 7 days
The best daylight hour of each day, rated for each level. No day rates Good for intermediate surfers this week.
| Day | Best | Surf | Wind | Beg. | Int. | Adv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 09:00 | 0.5 m · 8 s | offshore | Poor–Fair | Poor | Poor |
| Wed 21 | 12:00 | 0.5 m · 10 s | cross-shore | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Thu 22 | 10:00 | 0.4 m · 8 s | onshore | Poor–Fair | Poor | Poor |
| Fri 23 | 09:00 | 0.3 m · 6 s | cross-offshore | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Sat 24 | 10:00 | 0.4 m · 7 s | onshore | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Sun 25 | 18:00 | 0.2 m · 8 s | cross-shore | Flat | Flat | Flat |
| Mon 26 | 14:00 | 0.2 m · 11 s | cross-onshore | Flat | Flat | Flat |
Model forecast updated 20 Oct, 18:50 UTC. Hour by hour with swell direction, tide and webcams: open the live forecast.
Peaky sandbars in front of the campground pick up summer S and SE swells that the points nearby miss, and the lineup stays relaxed because surfers drive past to Rincon. Tarpits, the rock reef at the south end, holds better shape but gets busier and backwashes at high tide. Learners should stay on the sand in front of the parking lot on a waist-high day.
- Break
- beach break, peaks both ways; faces SSW
- Level
- beginner
- Best swell
- SW, S, SE, W
- Best wind
- NE, N (offshore)
- Best tide
- mid tide
- Season
- Summer and autumn
- Typical size
- 0.5-1.8 m
- Crowd
- low
- Hazards
- polluted runoff from Carpinteria Creek after rain; rocks and backwash at Tarpits reef to the south; boils on the reef
Carpinteria State Beach surf cams
- Carpinteria State Beach (Surfline, paid): two premium Surfline cams, main beach and south
Nearby spots
- Rincon, Carpinteria
- Leadbetter Point, Santa Barbara
- Campus Point, Santa Barbara
- El Capitan, Goleta
- Refugio, Goleta
- Jalama Beach, Lompoc
Questions
Is Carpinteria State Beach good for beginners?
Yes, on small days: it is a beach break that suits beginners. Watch out for: polluted runoff from carpinteria creek after rain; rocks and backwash at tarpits reef to the south. Take a lesson or surf near the lifeguards if you are new.
What swell, wind and tide work best at Carpinteria State Beach?
SW, S, SE, W swell, NE, N wind (offshore), at mid tide. Typical size 0.5-1.8 m.
Live swell, wind, tide, a 14-day outlook, satellite pictures and webcams for Carpinteria State Beach are in the Surf Spoting app.