Mesa Lane Beach
Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara County · California
Today's forecast
Updated 6:00 AM PT todayDawn is the clearest window. A late-morning onshore builds surface chop and gives up a few feet by the afternoon.
7-Day Forecast
Map · getting there
34.396° N · 119.714° W
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Open in Apple MapsAbout Mesa Lane Beach
Mesa Lane Beach is a narrow strip of light brown sand and rock at the base of a steep bluff in Santa Barbara, reached by 241 mostly-wood steps that zig-zag down from the street. The stairs are the only beach access for a mile in either direction, which keeps the crowd thin and the regulars local. Mesa Lane Beach is also a legal off-leash dog beach, so the sand is shared with retrievers chasing tennis balls into the shorebreak.
The underwater feature is a rocky reef that runs parallel to the beach in 15 to 25 feet of water, with patches of kelp across it and overhangs on its inshore edge. Visibility runs anywhere from 5 to 25 feet depending on swell and runoff.
The sand and breaking waves at the shoreline make this a surf zone biome at entry. Past the breakers the spot transitions into a rocky reef biome where bare rock sits between the kelp patches. The kelp forest biome covers those patches, anchored to the reef at about 20 feet of depth and growing up through the water column to the surface.
Parking is free street parking at the south end of Mesa Lane in the residential neighborhood, with spots filling on summer weekends. The descent is straightforward; the climb back up the 241 steps with a wetsuit, weights, fins, and a speargun is the well-known hard part, and most divers who work this spot stage gear in multiple trips. Fishing and spearfishing are legal under standard California regulations, with no MPA covering the spot.
Surf Zone
The surf zone biome consists of sandy beaches and breaking waves. The action of surf disturbing the sand and kicking it up exposes marine invertebrates, buried in their shallow dens. This natural exposure of invertebrates attracts all kinds of fish, looking for an easy meal. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome Glossary
Rocky Reef
The rocky reef biome is bare rock, boulder, and cobble structure without a kelp canopy above it. The hard relief and its crevices shelter invertebrates and reef fish, and the structure concentrates life that the surrounding sand cannot hold. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome Glossary
Kelp Forest
The kelp forest biome is giant kelp anchored to rocky bottom and growing up through the water column. The canopy and stipes form a three-dimensional habitat that shelters fish, invertebrates, and the predators that hunt them. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome GlossaryTarget Fish Species
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