Santa Cruz Island 78.4
#2012 of 5753 surf spots in the world · 🇺🇸 United States of America · California · near Santa Barbara
Works almost every day, no off season, gentle enough to learn.
Best time to surf Santa Cruz Island
The best time to surf Santa Cruz Island is January, March, December. The season runs Dec to Jan. In January the water sits around 16°C, so pack a 4/3 with boots, and the typical wave is 1.2 m. The nearest airport is SBA (53 km) and the nearest town is Santa Barbara (48 km).
| Month | Surfable | Clean | Size | Water | Suit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97% | 48% | 1.2 m | 16°C | 4/3 |
| Feb | 95% | 30% | 1.0 m | 16°C | 4/3 |
| Mar | 96% | 39% | 1.1 m | 16°C | 4/3 |
| Apr | 99% | 33% | 1.2 m | 16°C | 4/3 |
| May | 99% | 30% | 1.2 m | 15°C | 4/3 |
| Jun | 100% | 24% | 0.9 m | 17°C | 3/2 |
| Jul | 98% | 31% | 0.9 m | 18°C | 3/2 |
| Aug | 99% | 19% | 0.9 m | 20°C | 2mm |
| Sep | 99% | 29% | 0.9 m | 20°C | 2mm |
| Oct | 95% | 37% | 0.9 m | 18°C | 3/2 |
| Nov | 90% | 34% | 0.8 m | 17°C | 3/2 |
| Dec | 94% | 40% | 1.1 m | 16°C | 3/2 |
Why 78.4
Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and weighted; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world is 100.
The detail
Faces 170° with 58% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 84% of days. Mean peak period 11.3 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 68%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates 33.980, -119.636 (OpenStreetMap).
Spots nearby
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