Home › Santa Barbara & Ventura
Leadbetter Beach
Shark Weather report · updated Sun Oct 18, 4:22 pm PT
Sunrise/sunset calculated for this beach’s location (NOAA solar equations, ±2 min). Tides: NOAA CO-OPS predictions, Santa Barbara (9411340), 1 km away, feet above MLLW.
Surf/swim conditions only, never shark risk. How it's calculated
We have no approved official shark advisory or closure for this beach right now. Sharks live along this whole coast, so always check with lifeguards and posted signs.
No past official advisories on file for this beach yet. How this works
11 AM–2 PM · light wind (up to 5 mph), mid tide, rising
💨 Mid-window wind: Light cross-onshore, 5 mph from SW: light texture
Daylight hours only (sunrise 7:07 am, sunset 6:19 pm). From the NWS hourly forecast (wind) and NOAA CO-OPS hourly tide predictions (Santa Barbara, 1 km away). Surf/swim conditions only, not a safety rating. How it works
7-day outlook
Today Oct 18
Mon Oct 19
Tue Oct 20
Wed Oct 21
Thu Oct 22
Fri Oct 23
Sat Oct 24
Weather, wind and rain chance: National Weather Service (This Afternoon onward), updated Sun Oct 18, 11:26 am PT. High / overnight low. “n/a” = NWS gave no rain chance. Waves: NWS surf zone forecast (Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast, Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast), issued Sun Oct 18, 1:39 pm PT; it only covers the next few days, so “—” means no official wave forecast.
Conditions
Waves
Significant wave height 0.8 m · dominant period 13 s · from 268° (W)
East Santa Barbara buoy, 22 km away, as of 2:50 pm PT · NOAA NDBC. Buoys measure offshore; breaking surf at the beach can differ.
Surf zone forecastNWS
Moderate Rip Current Risk| Period | This Afternoon Through Monday |
| Surf height | 2 to 4 feet |
| Rip current risk | Moderate |
| Water temp (NWS) | 70 to 71 degrees |
| Remarks | Mixed south swell and west swell |
Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast, Santa Barbara County Southeastern Coast · issued Sun Oct 18, 1:39 pm PT · NWS Surf Zone Forecast
Water temp
Wetsuit meter: Spring suit or 2 mm top
East Santa Barbara buoy (NDBC 46053), 22 km away, as of 2:50 pm PT. The wetsuit meter is a general comfort guide.
Weather & wind
This Afternoon: Sunny, 81°F, wind 5 to 10 mph W
- Tonight: Partly Cloudy, 58°
- Monday: Mostly Sunny, 78°
National Weather Service (LOX) forecast, updated Sun Oct 18, 11:26 am PT
💨 Moderate cross-offshore, 10 mph from W: clean (how)
Tides today
| Tide | Time (PT) | Height |
|---|---|---|
| High | 7:15 am | 3.8 ft |
| Low | 10:26 am | 3.6 ft |
| High | 3:47 pm | 4.3 ft |
| Low | 11:50 pm | 0.8 ft |
NOAA CO-OPS predictions, Santa Barbara (9411340), 1 km away · feet above MLLW
Water quality
Official status today: Santa Barbara County Environmental Health: Ocean Water Monitoring
No open posting within 1.5 km in the state data. Most recent nearby: Posting on 2026-01-01, reopened 2026-01-20.
CA State Water Resources Control Board beach postings (ODC-By). Latest record in the dataset: 2026-03-06. It lags behind real time, so use the county link for today.
After rain: county health officers advise staying out of ocean water for at least 72 hours after rain (a “rain advisory”). We haven’t found an official machine-readable rain-advisory feed we can use, so check the county link above.
Weekly A–F grades: Heal the Bay Beach Report Card. We link to it instead of copying their grades.
Lifeguards
City of Santa Barbara (Parks & Recreation lifeguards)
Official site. Ask the nearest tower about conditions, rip currents and any wildlife sightings.
In an emergency call 911.
SwellNDBC
| Primary swell | W 2.3 ft @ 12.9 s |
| Wind waves (secondary) | WSW 0.3 ft @ 4 s |
This swell partly reaches here (by our estimated swell window)
Swell window for this beach (estimate)
Reaches well from: none · partly from: 245–295°, 170–200° (directions the swell comes from, degrees true). Faces SE behind Santa Barbara Point; west swell wraps in, most other swell is shadowed. Estimate only: bearings read from coastline orientation and generally known exposure (island/point shadowing), roughly ±15°, not surveyed.
East Santa Barbara buoy (46053), 22 km offshore, spectral summary as of 3:40 pm PT · NOAA NDBC. Height in feet (converted from meters), period in seconds, direction the waves come from.
Beach info
| Parking | Small free lot plus a large paid City lot. |
| Restrooms | Yes |
| Showers | Outdoor showers. |
| Lifeguards | Summer: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Beginners | City of Santa Barbara: “a popular beach for beginning surfers, windsurfers, and sailboats.” |
From official pages: sbparksandrec.santabarbaraca.gov · santabarbaraparks.com. Checked 2026-10-18. Rules, fees and hours change; follow posted signs and lifeguards.