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Campus Point, United States

Stay in Goleta: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Goleta

All 23 on Goleta's map

Watch this spot We email you when Campus Point is worth the trip.

When the Tide's Out - Goleta Beach
Campus Point. Photo: Damian Gadal, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Campus Point

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 29). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Goleta, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 6 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SBA, direct.

    See flights ORD → SBA · Skyscanner from about £220 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 20 min from the airport to Campus Point.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in GoletaAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Goleta · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Goleta · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Campus Point on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

At Campus Point

Open the webcam on dining.ucsb.edu

Near Campus Point, 1 km away

Open the webcam on hpwren.ucsd.edu

Webcams belong to their owners. Nothing from the webcam's site loads until you press the button.

Forecast

Campus Point does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct143 ft9 scrumbling142kJ23°C
Mon 19Oct194 ft8 scrumbling193kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct103 ft8 smushy91kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct174 ft10 scrumbling277kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct72 ft8 smushy59kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct154 ft6 smushy77kJ23°C
Sat 24Oct102 ft8 smushy54kJ21°C
Sun 25Oct72 ft7 smushy36kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct62 ft8 smushy41kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct133 ft5 smushy47kJ19°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 20 min by road. About 6h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 20 min by road. About 6h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 9 spots near Goleta each day: Campus Point, Depressions, Devereux, Driftwoods, Goleta Rock, Haskells, More Mesa, Rockpile, Sands.

The trip from Goleta, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £915–£1,675 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£220–£460
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£915–£1,675

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Goleta

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.