Montecito · Santa Barbara County · California
Butterfly Beach Surf Report & Forecast, Montecito, CA
Butterfly Beach, Montecito, California: 1–2 ft, knee high, at 12 pm PST on Monday, Nov 9, rated Fair. The main swell is 1.5 ft at 15 seconds from the west-southwest, with a 5 mph onshore wind from the southwest. Water is about 74°F, so a rashguard is enough; the next low tide is 0.0 ft at 3:50 pm.
1–2 ft
knee high
- Swell
- 1.5 ft · 15 s · WSWplus 0.6 ft · 4 s · WSW
- Wind
- 5 mph (SW)onshore
- Tide
- 3.7 ft fallinglow 0.0 ft at 3:50 pm
- Water
- 74°Frashguard
- Air
- 76°Ffeels like 71°F
- Sun
- rise 6:26 amset 4:58 pm
Butterfly Beach surf today and tomorrow
Best-rated hour today at Butterfly Beach: 5 pm, Good, on a falling low tide.
Blue band: surf face height from the low end to set waves; dotted: occasional larger sets. Grey line: tide, in feet on the right scale. Colour strip: the hourly rating. Arrows: wind direction and strength, teal when offshore, orange when onshore.
Best-rated hour tomorrow at Butterfly Beach: 8 am, Good, on a rising high tide.
Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 1–2 ft | Good | calm | 5.2 ft |
| 7 am | 1–2 ft | Good | calm | 6.1 ft |
| 8 am | 1–2 ft | Fair | calm | 6.7 ft |
| 9 am | 1–2 ft | Good | calm | 6.7 ft |
| 10 am | 1–2 ft | Fair | 5 mph onshore (SW) | 6.2 ft |
| 11 am | 1–2 ft | Fair | 6 mph onshore (SW) | 5.1 ft |
| 12 pmnow | 1–2 ft | Fair | 6 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 11 | 3.7 ft |
| 1 pm | 1–2 ft | Fair | 7 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 12 | 2.2 ft |
| 2 pm | 2 ft | Fair | 7 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 12 | 1.0 ft |
| 3 pm | 1–2 ft | Fair | 7 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 0.3 ft |
| 4 pm | 1–2 ft | Good | 6 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 0.1 ft |
| 5 pm | 2 ft | Good | 4 mph cross-shore (WNW) | 0.5 ft |
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 2 ft | Good | 6 mph offshore (NNE), gusts 12 | 4.8 ft |
| 7 am | 2 ft | Good | 6 mph offshore (NE), gusts 11 | 5.7 ft |
| 8 am | 2 ft | Good | 4 mph offshore (NE) | 6.4 ft |
| 9 am | 2 ft | Good | calm | 6.7 ft |
| 10 am | 2 ft | Fair | 5 mph onshore (SSE) | 6.4 ft |
| 11 am | 1–2 ft | Fair | 5 mph onshore (S) | 5.6 ft |
| 12 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor to Fair | 5 mph onshore (SSW), gusts 10 | 4.4 ft |
| 1 pm | 1–2 ft | Fair | 6 mph onshore (SW), gusts 11 | 3.0 ft |
| 2 pm | 1–2 ft | Fair | 6 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 11 | 1.6 ft |
| 3 pm | 1–2 ft | Fair | 6 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 11 | 0.6 ft |
| 4 pm | 1–2 ft | Good | 6 mph cross-shore (W) | 0.1 ft |
| 5 pm | 1 ft | Fair | 5 mph cross-shore (WNW) | 0.2 ft |
Butterfly Beach waves today: sets, lulls and how they break
At 12 pm, sets at Butterfly Beach arrive about every minute with about 3 waves each, and the waves are mostly barreling and hollow.
- Set waves
- about 1.8 ft faces
- Waves per set
- about 3
- Sets
- every minute or so, each lasting about 7 s
- Lulls
- about 38 s between breaking waves
- How they break
- Barrelingwhich means the lip pitches out and can throw a barrel
- Shape
- Hollowwhich means throwing, barreling waves
- Breaking
- 18% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
- Along-shore current
- moderate, about 0.9 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.
Butterfly Beach surf this weekend and the next 10 days
Next 8 days at Butterfly Beach: the biggest day is Monday, Nov 16 at 2–4 ft, and the best-rated day is Monday, Nov 16 (Good). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, 1–3 ft and Good; Sunday, Nov 15, 2 ft and Good.
Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24
Days 11–16 for Butterfly Beach are in the Current app with a Premium subscription.
Bars: surf face height from the low end to set waves, by day. Colour strip: the day's best rating. Arrows: main swell direction. Shaded: this weekend.
The 10-day forecast as a table, with swell and wind
| Day | Surf | Rating | Main swell | Wind am | Wind pm | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | 1–2 ft | Good | 1.3 ft · 16 s · WSW | calm | 7 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 12 | 5 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 1–2 ft | Good | 1.4 ft · 13 s · WSW | 4 mph offshore (NE) | 6 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 11 | 8 am |
| Wed, Nov 11 | 1–2 ft | Good | 1.4 ft · 13 s · WSW | calm | 5 mph onshore (SSW), gusts 10 | 8 am |
| Thu, Nov 12 | 1–2 ft | Good | 1.4 ft · 13 s · W | 5 mph cross-shore (ESE) | 8 mph onshore (SSE), gusts 13 | 5 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 1–3 ft | Good | 2.3 ft · 15 s · WSW | calm | 7 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 9 am |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 1–3 ft | Good | 3.2 ft · 13 s · WSW | 6 mph cross-shore (NW) | 9 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 7 am |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 2 ft | Good | 2.5 ft · 18 s · WSW | 5 mph offshore (NNW), gusts 10 | 9 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 17 | 7 am |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 2–4 ft | Good | 3.8 ft · 15 s · WSW | 9 mph offshore (NNW), gusts 16 | 15 mph offshore (NNW), gusts 25 | 1 pm |
Butterfly Beach tide chart and tide times
Tides at Butterfly Beach today, Monday, Nov 9: low 2.8 ft at 2:15 am, high 6.7 ft at 8:35 am, low 0.0 ft at 3:50 pm and high 4.5 ft at 10:18 pm. At 12 pm the tide is 3.7 ft and falling.
Butterfly Beach tide chart, November 2026
| Day | Tides |
|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | Low 2.8 ft at 2:15 amHigh 6.7 ft at 8:35 amLow 0.0 ft at 3:50 pmHigh 4.5 ft at 10:18 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Low 3.0 ft at 2:49 amHigh 6.7 ft at 9:03 amLow 0.1 ft at 4:23 pmHigh 4.2 ft at 11:03 pm |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Low 3.2 ft at 3:13 amHigh 6.3 ft at 9:30 amLow 0.2 ft at 5:07 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | High 3.9 ft at 12:05 amLow 3.3 ft at 3:30 amHigh 6.2 ft at 10:04 amLow 0.6 ft at 5:52 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | High 3.9 ft at 1:13 amLow 3.7 ft at 3:51 amHigh 6.0 ft at 10:40 amLow 1.0 ft at 6:42 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | High 4.1 ft at 2:51 amLow 4.0 ft at 4:24 amHigh 5.7 ft at 11:20 amLow 1.2 ft at 7:40 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | High 4.1 ft at 4:16 amLow 4.1 ft at 5:36 amHigh 5.2 ft at 12:10 pmLow 1.2 ft at 8:35 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | High 4.3 ft at 4:50 amLow 4.0 ft at 8:10 amHigh 4.7 ft at 1:22 pmLow 1.3 ft at 9:25 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | High 4.5 ft at 5:08 amLow 3.7 ft at 10:11 amHigh 4.4 ft at 2:50 pm |
Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.
Butterfly Beach water temperature
The water temperature at Butterfly Beach is about 74°F on Monday, Nov 9. With the air feeling like 71°F and a 5 mph wind, a rashguard is enough. Over the next week the water stays between 73 and 75°F.
Water temperature is a forecast for the water at this spot, not a buoy reading. The wetsuit suggestion uses Billabong's wetsuit temperature scale, adjusted for air temperature and wind.
Surf spots near Butterfly Beach
- Hammond's Reef0.6 mi E · 2 ft · Poor to Fair
- Miramar1.1 mi E · 2 ft · Good
- Fernald Point1.5 mi E · 2 ft · Poor
- Sandspit2.6 mi WSW · 1 ft · Poor
- Leadbetter Point3.2 mi WSW · 2 ft · Good
- Thousand Steps4.0 mi WSW · 2–3 ft · Good
Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →
About Butterfly Beach
Butterfly Beach is a beach break in Montecito, Santa Barbara County, California, facing south.
Follow Butterfly Beach in the Current app
The first 10 days are free, and Premium adds days 11–16.
Forecasts are estimates. Never rely on them for safety. For rip current risk and beach hazards, check the National Weather Service. Forecasts from Current's novel physics simulation. No AI. No black boxes. Ocean and weather data: NOAA (U.S. government data). NOAA does not endorse this site.