Surfing & Windsurfing in Santa Barbara, CA

Some of the best surfers in the world call Santa Barbara home. The reason for this is simple: the right-hand point breaks that make up the area’s south-facing coastline. Places like Rincon and Coal Oil Point and scores of nooks and crannies in between light up during the winter months with exceptionally well-groomed waves. During the summer season, when the waves trend toward flat in these parts, hopeful wave sliders have to venture to places north and south of Santa Barbara like C-Street in Ventura or Jalama County Park near Lompoc. 

And while good waves in the Santa Barbara area typically mean very good waves by any surfer’s metric, this area is perhaps best appreciated when you have a longboard in your quiver. The better swells are always fiercely crowded, but if you have a bigger board that allows you to harvest the stoke even when the surf is minimal, you’re sure to keep the fun factor high. The various point breaks can prove to be longboard nirvana during the many days of less-than-impressive surf that this region sees. 

Additional Resources

Weather/Conditions: Surflinewww.17ft.com

Groups: Santa Barbara Surfrider, Surf Happens

Races (or Events): Rincon Classic

Retailers: J7 SurfboardsSurf 'n Wear