Finding the pulse of the reef...
Next 12 hours
Partly cloudy for the next 12 hours, cooling to 73°.
Conditions
Visibility, water, current, and wind. The in-water read.
Visibility
Decent
Calm wind · Recent / incoming rain
Water
72°
3 mm
Current
0.5 kt
gentle drift
Surge
9.45s
low surge
Wind
0 mph
offshore N
Visibility is an estimate — wind, rain, tide & water alerts.
The spot
The things that stay true when the weather changes.
Rincon Point, CA is for experienced water people. Conditions here punish inexperience.
A right point that wants a west, west-southwest or west-northwest swell with a period under 15 seconds, at low tide, with wind out of the north or northeast. It breaks in three connecting sections, Rivermouth, Indicator and the Cove, that link into one long ride on bigger swells, and holds surf from head-high to double overhead. Best October through February.
Two adjacent lots off Bates Road, reached from US 101 about three miles south of Carpinteria: a Santa Barbara County lot at Rincon Beach Park, and a separate Rincon Point State Beach lot right beside the gated community, closer to the point itself.
Checked 2026-08-27. Sources: Surfline, Santa Barbara County Parks, California Beaches, Heal the Ocean (water-quality nonprofit; ran the Rincon septic-to-sewer project).
Tides & Sky
When the water moves, and how bright the night.
High
9:41 PM
5.974ft
Low
4:26 AM
-0.038ft
Full Moon
100%
Daylight: 13h 3m · UV 6 Moderate
Life
The reef keeps its own calendar.
Great Blue Heron · Western Gull · Great Blue Heron · Brown Pelican
Regulations
Take only what the season allows.
We've only loaded detailed seasons & limits for South Florida so far. For California, check the official source before you fish:
California saltwater regulationsOfficial source: CDFW· opens the agency site
Now. The water is alive and waiting.
Snorkel: decent viz, cool 72 F water, 3-4 ft waves, 0 mph offshore wind.
This week
snorkel & freedive readBest day this week: tomorrow, 7 AM–4 PM.