Loon Point Beach
Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara County · California
Visibility Breakdown
Visibility by position
Solid = diver report · outlined = today's forecast
Break Zone: The range of water where the waves break and sediment is stirred up.
Post Break: The range past where any waves are forming, where the water starts to have a significant increase in visibility. There might be some sediment here, but swell energy is diffused and the water is calmer.
Open Water: This zone is far out enough from the shore that the water is at its clearest. It’s deep enough that sediment is not disturbed by the wave energy at the surface. Haze can sit near the surface, so the water is usually clearer the deeper you go.
Through the day
Today's visibility readings at this spot, shown at the hour each one was taken.
Every bar is a reading for the Post Break zone.
This chart shows measured diver reports only.
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Coastal Bulletin
About Loon Point Beach
Why it reads 4–8 ft
Today's forecast runs
Dawn is the clearest window — onshore wind picks up by late morning and surface chop stirs the bottom through the afternoon.
Medium confidence
7-Day Forecast
Today is the live headline above. Tomorrow onward is the algorithm's forecast from predicted swell, wind, and rain, updated each morning and at 6 PM Pacific.
Map and parking
Free dirt lot at the far west end of Padaro Lane (Exit 90 off Highway 101 toward the ocean). Portable toilets only. From the lot you walk roughly 1,000 feet along a path next to the railroad tracks, under an overpass, then down a ramp to the sand.
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See the offshore water on Pelagiscape →Clarity, temperature breaks and kelp off this beach.
About Loon Point Beach
Loon Point Beach sits along the South Coast just east of Summerland, reached from a free dirt lot at the far west end of Padaro Lane off Exit 90 from Highway 101. The walk in runs about a thousand feet along the railroad tracks, under an overpass, and down a ramp to the sand. Facilities are limited to portable toilets. The point itself juts west of the access ramp, with tide pools exposed at low tide along its base. A right break sits east of the point and is more often paddled out from the south side at Santa Claus Beach. Loon Point Beach is also one of the few South Coast beaches where horseback riding on the sand is permitted.
Species found here
Researched habitat and range candidates. A listed species may be seasonal or depth-limited; this is not a confirmed sighting at this location.
Spot strategies
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