Waterfront, Santa Barbara
East Beach
Volleyball courts, the bike path and the Cabrillo Bathhouse. The long, wide one in town.
Dogs: No dogs (rules)
Updated every morning
Santa Barbara beaches.
Which beach to pick today, whether the water is clean enough to swim, and the rules worth knowing before you go. Six beaches from Goleta to Carpinteria, checked every morning.
This morning's beach check is updating. Check back soon, or see the latest water grades.
Is it safe to swim today?
Check first at Leadbetter (C), Arroyo Burro (Hendry's) (C) and Goleta Beach (C). Stay out at East Beach (F), Butterfly Beach (D) and Carpinteria State Beach (D).
73°FWater at the channel buoy this morning. Trunks and a rash guard.
Best beach today
Not much of a beach day anywhere today.
Move or zoom the map to list only the beaches in view.
Today Sat Oct 31
| Beach | Beach day | Water | Grade | Crowds (guess) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpinteria State Beach | Beach Day Score 3/10 67°F, wind 4 mph | Stay out | D tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| East Beach | Beach Day Score 3/10 67°F, wind 4 mph | Stay out | F / B tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Goleta Beach | Beach Day Score 3/10 66°F, wind 5 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Leadbetter | Beach Day Score 3/10 66°F, wind 4 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Arroyo Burro (Hendry's)High tide covers the sand in the best hours | Beach Day Score 1/10 66°F, wind 6 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Butterfly BeachHigh tide covers the sand in the best hours | Beach Day Score 1/10 67°F, wind 4 mph | Stay out | D tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
No beaches in this part of the map. Zoom out, or tap Show all.
Tide low 3.3 ft at 7:21 AM · high 5.5 ft at 1:46 PM
Low 3.3 ftHigh 5.5 ft
- Butterfly BeachSand mostly under water 8:45 AM to 5 PM
- Arroyo BurroSand mostly under water 11 AM to 4 PM
Where the sand goes is our estimate of the tide height that covers most of the dry sand. It shifts with the seasons, so go early if you're unsure.
Tomorrow Sun Nov 1
| Beach | Beach day | Water | Grade | Crowds (guess) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpinteria State Beach | Beach Day Score 6/10 best 1 PM to 4 PM, 68°F, wind 11 mph | Stay out | D tested Oct 30 | Normal |
| East Beach | Beach Day Score 5/10 best 1 PM to 4 PM, 69°F, wind 12 mph | Stay out | F / B tested Oct 30 | Normal |
| Leadbetter | Beach Day Score 4/10 best 12 PM to 3 PM, 68°F, wind 14 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Normal |
| Goleta Beach | Beach Day Score 3/10 67°F, wind 17 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Butterfly BeachHigh tide covers the sand in the best hours | Beach Day Score 2/10 69°F, wind 12 mph | Stay out | D tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Arroyo Burro (Hendry's) | Beach Day Score 1/10 63°F, wind 15 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
No beaches in this part of the map. Zoom out, or tap Show all.
Tide low 3.3 ft at 8:22 AM · high 5.1 ft at 2:13 PM
Low 3.3 ftHigh 5.1 ft
- Butterfly BeachSand mostly under water 6 AM to 6:45 AM and 10 AM to 5:15 PM
- Arroyo BurroSand mostly under water 12:15 PM to 4 PM
Where the sand goes is our estimate of the tide height that covers most of the dry sand. It shifts with the seasons, so go early if you're unsure.
Monday Mon Nov 2
| Beach | Beach day | Water | Grade | Crowds (guess) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goleta Beach | Beach Day Score 9/10 best 12 PM to 3 PM, 73°F, wind 4 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Arroyo Burro (Hendry's) | Beach Day Score 8/10 best 12 PM to 3 PM, 69°F, wind 5 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Carpinteria State Beach | Beach Day Score 8/10 best 12 PM to 3 PM, 69°F, wind 5 mph | Stay out | D tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| East Beach | Beach Day Score 8/10 best 12 PM to 3 PM, 69°F, wind 5 mph | Stay out | F / B tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Leadbetter | Beach Day Score 8/10 best 12 PM to 3 PM, 69°F, wind 5 mph | Check first | C tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
| Butterfly Beach | Beach Day Score 7/10 best 10 AM to 1 PM, 68°F, wind 4 mph | Stay out | D tested Oct 30 | Quiet |
No beaches in this part of the map. Zoom out, or tap Show all.
Tide low 2.8 ft at 10:15 AM · high 4.8 ft at 3:45 PM
Low 2.8 ftHigh 4.8 ft
- Butterfly BeachSand mostly under water 6 AM to 7:45 AM and 12:30 PM to 6:15 PM
- Arroyo BurroSand mostly under water 2:30 PM to 5 PM
Where the sand goes is our estimate of the tide height that covers most of the dry sand. It shifts with the seasons, so go early if you're unsure.
Updated Saturday 6:12 AM. The Beach Day score (1 to 10) is how nice it is to sit on the sand in the best 3 hours between 10 AM and 5 PM: warmth, sun, wind and rain chance, minus any hours the tide covers the beach. The water call is separate and only about the water: a D or F grade, a county warning, or rain in the last 3 days means stay out, whatever the weather. Crowds are our guess from weekends, holidays, school breaks and the weather, not a count.
Which beach for what.
Below the Mesa, Santa Barbara
Leadbetter
The calmest water in town, tucked behind the point. Good for little kids and first paddleboard tries.
Dogs: No dogs (rules)
Hendry's, Santa Barbara
Arroyo Burro (Hendry's)
The restaurant on the sand, and the walk toward the Mesa at low tide.
Dogs: Off leash from the Shoreline Park stairs west to the Arroyo Burro estuary (rules)
Montecito
Butterfly Beach
Montecito's sunset beach, facing west below the Biltmore. Small, and the sand narrows fast as the tide comes in.
Dogs: Check the signs; county rules apply
Goleta
Goleta Beach
The pier, lawns and picnic tables, and parking that is easy to find.
Dogs: Check the signs; county rules apply
Carpinteria
Carpinteria State Beach
A gentle slope and tide pools at the reef. State park day use is $10 a car, sunrise to sunset.
Dogs: Not on the beach; allowed in the campground and day-use area (rules)
Dog rules and the Carpinteria fee were checked on the linked official pages on October 30, 2026. Rules change, so the signs at the beach win.
Good to know.
Is it safe to swim in Santa Barbara today?
Check first at Leadbetter (C), Arroyo Burro (Hendry's) (C) and Goleta Beach (C). Stay out at East Beach (F), Butterfly Beach (D) and Carpinteria State Beach (D). Grades come from the county's weekly bacteria tests, published on Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card.
How long after rain should you stay out of the ocean?
Heal the Bay advises staying out of the water for 72 hours after rain. Storm runoff carries bacteria from streets and creeks into the ocean, and it is worst near creek mouths and storm drains.
What do the beach water grades mean?
Heal the Bay grades each beach A to F from the bacteria levels in the county's samples. A means low risk of getting sick. We say stay out at a D or F, or whenever the county posts a warning, whatever the weather.
Which Santa Barbara beaches allow dogs?
Dogs can run off leash from the Shoreline Park stairs west to the Arroyo Burro estuary at Hendry's. Dogs are not allowed on East, West or Leadbetter beaches, or on the sand at Carpinteria State Beach (they can go in its campground and day-use area). Other county beaches post their own rules at the entrance.
Sources: water grades from Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card (the county's weekly samples); weather and waves from Open-Meteo; tides from NOAA station 9411340. Water temperature from the channel buoy (NOAA). Tide-pool lows are on the Sunset Score page. Map by OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Something wrong? hello@sbsavvy.com
Free, every Thursday
The weekend's best beach, first.
The Thursday email picks the beach for Saturday and Sunday and tells you where to stay out of the water.