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Reporting at Sands Beach
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Sands Beach

TAR/OIL 7.8/10 0 reports today Β· last 3 days ago
Tar/Oil scores 0–10 Β· 10 clean
7.8 Sand
10.0 Water
Surf
SURF 3-5 ft Β· chest-to-head
Offshore swell 6.2 ft @ 11s W Β· obs 1h ago
CDIP MOP nearshore model (Scripps, DOI 10.18437/C7WC72) + local windsea
Wind
3.8 kt
onshore Β· SE
Tide ft MLLW
H 4:27 PM
now 2.0 ft rising Β· next H 5.1 Β· 4:27 PM
Temps
64.6Β°F Water
63.2Β°F Air

Tar/Oil Conditions

TAR/OIL SCORE (0-10 Β· 10 = clean) Β· 7 DAYSHow scoring works β†’
now 7.8

Surf

Offshore Buoy β€” West Santa Barbara46054 Β· obs + forecast Β· NDBC / wave model
no data
Swell direction Β· every 6h
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Sat 2 AM
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Sun 2 AM
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Mon 2 AM
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Tue 2 AM
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Wed 2 AM
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Thu 2 AM
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Fri 2 AM
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Sat 2 AM
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Sun 2 AM
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Mon 2 AM
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Tue 2 AM
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Wed 2 AM
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Thu 2 AM
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Fri 2 AM
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Sat 2 AM

Loading swell x tar…

more in Research β†’

Weather

Weather
63.2Β°Fsunny3.8 ktUV 0Sunrise 6:35 AM Β· Sunset 7:19 PM
Today, hour by hour
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Wind direction
Sat 12 AM
Sat 4 AM
Sat 8 AM
Sat 12 PM
Sat 4 PM
Sat 8 PM
TodayUV 7 HighSunrise 6:35 AMSunset 7:19 PMMoonrise 12:17 AMMoonset 3:44 PM🌘 Waning Crescentnext full moon Sep 27

Live Observations

Jul 18, 11:56 AM anon Waterline Black line Sporadic 1-10% Balls – Sticky None – C
Jul 18, 11:05 AM anon Wrack line Clean Sporadic 1-10% Balls Palm Hard – – A
Jul 18, 7:25 AM anon Waterline Clean Trace <1% Balls Coin Firm – – B
Jul 16, 2:42 PM oceanwatch_ok Waterline Black line Broken-continuous >50% Balls – Firm None – C
Jul 16, 1:19 PM anon Dry sand Clean Broken-continuous >50% Balls Coin Hard None – B
Jul 16, 8:58 AM anon Waterline Black line Sporadic 1-10% Balls Slab Firm – – B
Jul 14, 4:30 PM SB Channelkeeper Volunteers β˜… Waterline Black line Sporadic 1-10% Balls Plate Firm Tar balls – A
Jul 14, 10:27 AM channelkeeper_chris Waterline Black line Sporadic 1-10% Balls Plate Firm – – B
Jul 13, 1:43 PM elcap_eli Wrack line Clean Patchy 11-50% Balls – Firm Tar balls – B
Jul 13, 6:37 AM summerland_sue Wrack line Clean Trace <1% Balls Pea – – – B
Jul 12, 6:31 PM anon Dry sand Black line Trace <1% Balls Coin Hard None – B
Jul 12, 1:09 PM anon Dry sand Clean Trace <1% Balls Coin Hard None – B
Jul 11, 5:47 PM ellwood_erin Waterline Clean Sporadic 1-10% Balls Palm – None – C
Jul 11, 3:22 PM tarball_tracker Waterline Clean Trace <1% Balls Coin Firm None – B
Jul 8, 12:22 PM anon Waterline Clean Sporadic 1-10% Balls Pea Hard – – A
Jul 7, 4:57 PM anon Waterline Clean Trace <1% Balls Coin Hard None – B
Jul 6, 4:18 PM anon Wrack line Clean Trace <1% Film – – None – C
Jul 6, 11:14 AM SB Channelkeeper Volunteers β˜… Wrack line Clean None Film – – Sheen, Odor – A
Jul 6, 7:14 AM eastbeach_ellie Waterline Sheen Trace <1% Balls Coin Hard Tar balls – B
Jul 5, 8:32 AM SB Channelkeeper Volunteers β˜… Waterline Clean None Balls – – None – A

16-Day Forecast

SAT SEP 5
Sat, 9/5 Morning 3.3ft Β· chest-to-head 3.2ft @ 11.4s – offshore Clear Β· 70.2Β°F 96%
Sat, 9/5 Evening 3.2ft Β· chest-to-head 3ft @ 11.6s – sideshore Clear Β· 74.5Β°F 96%
SUN SEP 6
Sun, 9/6 Morning 2.7ft Β· waist-high 3.5ft @ 11.1s – onshore Overcast Β· 73.5Β°F 93%
Sun, 9/6 Evening 2.7ft Β· waist-high 3.4ft @ 11.1s – sideshore Partly cloudy Β· 80.5Β°F 93%
MON SEP 7
Mon, 9/7 Morning 2.7ft Β· waist-high 3.8ft @ 10s – sideshore Clear Β· 82.2Β°F 91%
Mon, 9/7 Evening 2.8ft Β· waist-high 3.8ft @ 10.2s – sideshore Clear Β· 91.2Β°F 91%
TUE SEP 8
Tue, 9/8 Morning 3.3ft Β· chest-to-head 3.2ft @ 9.9s – sideshore Clear Β· 87.1Β°F 88%
Tue, 9/8 Evening 3.6ft Β· chest-to-head 3ft @ 9.6s – sideshore Overcast Β· 96.8Β°F 88%
WED SEP 9
Wed, 9/9 Morning 3.1ft Β· chest-to-head 2.6ft @ 9s – sideshore Overcast Β· 91.4Β°F 86%
Wed, 9/9 Evening 2.8ft Β· waist-high 2.6ft @ 9.2s – sideshore Partly cloudy Β· 101.6Β°F 86%
THU SEP 10
Thu, 9/10 Morning 3.2ft Β· chest-to-head 2.7ft @ 9s – sideshore Partly cloudy Β· 90Β°F 83%
Thu, 9/10 Evening 3.8ft Β· chest-to-head 3.5ft @ 7.2s – sideshore Clear Β· 100.5Β°F 83%
FRI SEP 11
Fri, 9/11 Morning 3.7ft Β· chest-to-head 3.2ft @ 7.4s – sideshore Partly cloudy Β· 87.8Β°F 81%
Fri, 9/11 Evening 2.3ft Β· waist-high 3.6ft @ 6.6s – sideshore Mostly cloudy Β· 98.3Β°F 81%
SAT SEP 12
Sat, 9/12 Morning 1.6ft Β· shin-to-knee 2.9ft @ 7.4s – sideshore Mostly cloudy Β· 81Β°F 78%
Sat, 9/12 Evening 1.9ft Β· shin-to-knee 3.3ft @ 6.6s – sideshore Clear Β· 93.8Β°F 78%
SUN SEP 13
Sun, 9/13 Morning 2.1ft Β· waist-high 3.5ft @ 5.9s – sideshore Clear Β· 77.9Β°F 76%
Sun, 9/13 Evening 2.6ft Β· waist-high 4ft @ 5.5s – sideshore Partly cloudy Β· 91.5Β°F 76%
MON SEP 14
Mon, 9/14 Morning – Β· – – – Clear Β· 78.1Β°F 73%
Mon, 9/14 Evening – Β· – – – Mostly cloudy Β· 92.3Β°F 73%
TUE SEP 15
Tue, 9/15 Morning – Β· – – – Mostly cloudy Β· 78.1Β°F 71%
Tue, 9/15 Evening – Β· – – – Mostly cloudy Β· 90.2Β°F 71%
WED SEP 16
Wed, 9/16 Morning – Β· – – – Clear Β· 73.6Β°F 68%
Wed, 9/16 Evening – Β· – – – Clear Β· 86.2Β°F 68%
THU SEP 17
Thu, 9/17 Morning – Β· – – – Clear Β· 70.8Β°F 66%
Thu, 9/17 Evening – Β· – – – Clear Β· 84.5Β°F 66%
FRI SEP 18
Fri, 9/18 Morning – Β· – – – Clear Β· 72.7Β°F 63%
Fri, 9/18 Evening – Β· – – – Clear Β· 81.4Β°F 63%
SAT SEP 19
Sat, 9/19 Morning – Β· – – – – 61%
Sat, 9/19 Evening – Β· – – – – 61%
SUN SEP 20
Sun, 9/20 Morning – Β· – – – – 58%
Sun, 9/20 Evening – Β· – – – – 58%
Confidence is an estimate based on forecast lead time.

Nearby Buoys

Buoy 46054 just now
Wave ht 6.2ft
Period 11s
Water temp 64.6Β°F
Station 46054 on NDBC →

Photo Gallery

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Nearby Incident Reports

Aug 13, 2026 IncidentNews Pollution Surveillance Report off Santa Barbara; Montecito, California 24.5 km Source β†—
Aug 12, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: REPORT DATE: 08-13-2026 REPORT TIME: 1320 UTC REGION: PACIFIC SUB REGION: CALIFORNIA AREA/BLOCK: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 6658 IMAGE DATE: 08-12-… 24.5 km β€”
Aug 11, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER DISCOVERED AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 5 km β€”
Jun 21, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER REPORTING AN UNKNOWN BROWN SHEEN IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. CALLER STATES THERE ARE SOME THICK PORTIONS. 11.1 km β€”
Jun 7, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER REPORTING AN UNKNOWN SHEEN NEARBY A PLATFORM. THE SHEEN IS RAINBOW AND ESTIMATED TO BE .25 MILES LONG. 3.6 km β€”
May 30, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER REPORTING AN UNKNOWN SHEEN AND TAR BALLS ON THE BUTTERFLY BEACH. THE PRECISE SOURCE AND CAUSE ARE UNKNOWN. THE SHEEN IS COVERING AN… 21.3 km β€”
May 28, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER REPORTED THE DISCOVERY OF AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE ON THE WATERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 24.1 km β€”
May 13, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER STATES A RELIEF VALVE RELEASED PRODUCED WATER AND CRUDE OIL, WHICH RAN DOWN THE CONDUCTOR IMPACTING HTE PACIFIC OCEAN. 23.6 km β€”
Apr 26, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER STATED THAT THEY DISCOVERED A VESSEL THAT BROKE IT'S MOORING. BECAUSE OF THIS THE VESSEL RAN AGROUND ON A BEACH AT THE LOCATION. … 24.5 km β€”
Show older (17)
Apr 16, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER DISCOVERED AN UNKNOWN SHEEN INCIDENT IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. THE SOURCE OF THE SHEEN IS UNKNOWN. CALLER STATES THAT THE SHEEN IS … 22.3 km β€”
Feb 11, 2026 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: ///POTENTIAL RELEASE/// VESSEL WENT HARD AGROUND AND IS BREAKING APART ON SHORE. THERE IS NO SIGN OF A RELEASE BUT THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR… 20.2 km β€”
Dec 24, 2025 IncidentNews Beached Sailboat on East Beach; Santa Barbara, California 18.1 km Source β†—
Nov 11, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER REPORTED AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE. 5 km β€”
Sep 25, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER REPORTED THE DISCOVERY OF AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE ON THE WATERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. AN ESTIMATE OF THE SIZE WAS… 8.4 km β€”
Aug 24, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: ****THIS IS A POTENTIAL RELEASE REPORT**** THE CALLER DISCOVERED A SAILBOAT AGROUND ON BUTTERFLY BEACH. NO POLLUTION OBSERVED AT THIS TIME… 20.4 km β€”
Aug 17, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER DISCOVERED AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE IN THE SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL. 3.4 km β€”
Jul 26, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER REPORTED AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE. 6.4 km β€”
Jun 8, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER STATES DISCOVERING AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. THE CALLER STATES THE SHEEN WAS 1 TO 2NM LONG X 1NM … 5.8 km β€”
May 2, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: CALLER REPORTS AN UNKNOWN SHEEN FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. CALLER STATES THIS IS POSSIBLY NATURAL SEEPAGE. THE MATERIAL … 22.9 km β€”
Feb 18, 2025 NRC raw raw report β€” unverified: THE CALLER IS REPORTING A RELEASE OF CRUDE OIL INTO THE SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL FROM AN OIL RIG. THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE IS UNKNOWN AT THIS T… 3.9 km β€”
Jan 6, 2023 IncidentNews Sheen Report at Summerland Beach, Summerland, CA 24.6 km Source β†—
Dec 11, 2021 IncidentNews Sheen near Platform Holly; Santa Barbara, CA 3.7 km Source β†—
May 30, 2019 IncidentNews Ellwood Beach spill; Goleta, CA 3.7 km Source β†—
May 19, 2015 IncidentNews Refugio Incident; Santa Barbara, CA 20.5 km Source β†—
Oct 29, 2010 IncidentNews Barge transfer accident; Goleta Point, CA 1.8 km Source β†—
Nov 16, 2007 IncidentNews Platform Hondo; 5 nm off Santa Barbara, CA 22.4 km Source β†—