Tarantulas, United States

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Goleta, is 62 km away. Nearest airport: SMX (SMX), 45 km.

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About Tarantulas

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

The spot faces SW (230°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (50°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 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 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Goleta, is 62 km away. Nearest airport: SMX (SMX), 45 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 7 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SBA, direct.
See flights ORD → SBA · Skyscanner from about £220 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to Tarantulas.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Goleta, is 62 km away. Nearest airport: SMX (SMX), 45 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Tarantulas · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Tarantulas · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Tarantulas on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Tarantulas 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Tarantulas, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	53, good	4 ft9 scrumbling	207kJ	wind from the north, 3 knots	22°C
Mon 19Oct	39, fair	4 ft11 scrumbling	399kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots	20°C
Tue 20Oct	45, fair	4 ft12 scrumbling	317kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots	19°C
Wed 21Oct	26, poor	5 ft9 scrumbling	346kJ	wind from the south-east, 10 knots	17°C
Thu 22Oct	42, fair	4 ft8 smushy	146kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots	19°C
Fri 23Oct	30, poor	5 ft6 smushy	166kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots	18°C
Sat 24Oct	38, fair	5 ft7 smushy	238kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	22°C
Sun 25Oct	49, good	4 ft7 smushy	118kJ	wind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore	23°C
Mon 26Oct	55, good	4 ft8 scrumbling	206kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots	22°C
Tue 27Oct	32, poor	6 ft7 smushy	290kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	21°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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Tarantulas
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, wind 7 kn (12 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Tarantulas
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Tarantulas
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 35 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Tarantulas
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £745–£1,385 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag	£220–£460
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£115–£190
Food	7 days eating out	£260–£480
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£115–£190
Total		£745–£1,385

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

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