Rincon
Cobblestone right point at the Santa Barbara / Ventura county line. Long-period northwest groundswell magnet shaped by the Pt. Conception swell window and Santa Barbara Channel refraction.
Spot intel
Parking
Dirt lot off the 101 at the Bates Road exit, about 40 spaces. Shoulder parking on the 101 when the lot's full. Car break-ins are regular at this lot.
Crowd
Thick. Locals run the lineup. Not a wave you paddle into without watching it for a session first.
Beginner-friendly?
No.
Long-period cobblestone point with a tight priority hierarchy, fast walls, and no shoulder room. Not a beginner wave.
Lineup etiquette
Priority on a point goes to the deepest rider. Shoulder-hopping a wave already ridden from the peak is the lineup's standard call-out.
When it's on
West through northwest groundswell with light offshore wind from the northeast through east. Mid-tide window.
Where it breaks
- Coordinates
- 34.3710, -119.4810
- Shore faces
- SSW
- Region
- Carpinteria, California
Launching summer 2026 — get notified.
Ghost Fingers is the California-built surf forecast that reads the buoys, the nearshore wave model, and the wind grid honestly. One email when Rincon goes live in the app.