Best Swell Conditions For The Central Coast

Swell is waves that are generated by different weather conditions that propagate from over 1,000 miles across the ocean. These crestless waves travel towards shore until they hit some type of sandbar, reef, or point which then creates a crashing wave. Here on the central coast we mainly have beach breaks and a few point breaks. The best season to for our waves here on the Central coast is fall. This is when we have very light to non existent wind giving us glassy conditions. It is also a popular time to receive long-interval west swells. Winter is another great time for our waves. This is when it gets pretty big. It is mainly good for Santa Barbara spots because they get south winds with northwest swell. The best swell directions for Pismo Beach are combo swells, shorter-period west or northwest swell or long-period southwest swell. East and Northwest winds are ideal as well. The best months for this spot are April through October. Rincon is a really cool spot in Santa Barbara. It is a point break that creates a right peeling waves that goes forever. The best conditions for this spot is west, west southwest, or west northwest swell at about 15 seconds. The best months for this spot are October through February. THE WORST SEASON FOR SURF ON THE CENTRAL COAST IS SPRING.