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Rockpile, 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 Rockpile is worth the trip.

Aerial-GoletaArea
Goleta, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: John Wiley User:Jw4nvc - Santa Barbara, California, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Rockpile

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

The spot faces SW (205°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (25°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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, 6.9 km away (about 15 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 50 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. 25 min from the airport to Rockpile.

    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

Rockpile on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

In Goleta, the nearest town, 7 km away

Open the webcam on hpwren.ucsd.edu

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Forecast

Rockpile does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct223 ft9 shollow134kJ22°C
Mon 19Oct264 ft8 shollow181kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct153 ft8 shollow80kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct284 ft10 shollow263kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct122 ft8 shollow66kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct203 ft6 smushy70kJ23°C
Sat 24Oct122 ft10 shollow57kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct102 ft7 shollow32kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct122 ft8 shollow45kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct143 ft6 smushy44kJ22°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 25 min by road. About 6h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Sands

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Sands

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 25 min by road. About 6h 50 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.