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Tarpits, 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

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

El Estero, Carpinteria Dec 68
Carpinteria, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife from Sacramento, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Tarpits

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

The spot faces SW (203°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (23°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 34). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 month is usually August, with about 5 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carpinteria, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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

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Book the trip

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 Tarpits.

    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

Tarpits 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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct132 ft9 scrumbling95kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct213 ft8 smushy134kJ25°C
Tue 20Oct123 ft7 smushy64kJ23°C
Wed 21Oct193 ft10 scrumbling179kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct92 ft8 smushy53kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct163 ft6 smushy52kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct72 ft5 smushy12kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct51 ft6 smushy14kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct61 ft8 scrumbling23kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct122 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 expert 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
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  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.