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Carpinteria Beach, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Carpinteria

All 21 on Carpinteria's map

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Oil rigs off California coast at Carpinteria State Beach 8175996969 o
Carpinteria Beach. Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Carpinteria Beach

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

The spot faces S (202°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (22°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually July, August, September and October, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carpinteria, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 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 7 h 15 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. 50 min from the airport to Carpinteria Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CarpinteriaAd

    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 Carpinteria · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Carpinteria · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Carpinteria Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct612 ft10 scrumbling77kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct343 ft8 ssoft127kJ25°C
Tue 20Oct572 ft8 smushy50kJ23°C
Wed 21Oct483 ft9 ssoft125kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct492 ft8 smushy53kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct453 ft6 smushy47kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct412 ft5 smushy12kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct271 ft6 smushy14kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct291 ft8 scrumbling23kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct562 ft5 smushy29kJ25°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 beginner surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 50 min by road. About 7h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Little Rincon

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Little Rincon

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf La conchita

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Little Rincon

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf La conchita

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 5 s, wind 1 kn (1 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 50 min by road. About 7h 15 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Carpinteria each day: Carpinteria Beach, Jelly Bowl, La conchita, Little Rincon, Santa Clause, Serena's, Tarpits.

The trip from Carpinteria, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £950–£1,735 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£50–£85
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£950–£1,735

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

Places to eat near Carpinteria

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.