Welcome to Santa Barbara Harbor
34°23.8'N - 119°43.3'W
Navigation

Harbor Information:  This is for general information purposes and should not be used as a navigation guide, USE YOUR CHART!!!!

The Harbor has over 1,000 slips and 115 permanent moorings. The following information is general in nature and in no case be used for navigational purposes.

Santa Barbara Point, 1 mile East of the light, is a high cliff at the SE limit of the narrow table and extending from Laviga Hill. The point is the beginning of a sand beach extending 0.6 mile East to Point Castillo, The West point of the breakwater forming Santa Barbara Harbor.

Conspicuous landmarks are the neon-light atop a hotel tower on the beach 1 mile East of town. several radio towers and many residences on the hillsides behind the town. At night, the lights of the city are well seen from the channel, but are obscured from the West by Laviga Hill.

The harbor has a 500-yard breakwater extending NE from Point Castillo to an extensive sandbar which forms the South side of the harbor. A jetty extends across the Sandbar about 400 yards N from the NE end of the breakwater and the jetty. The NE side of the harbor is formed by Stearns Wharf. A light is at the South end of the wharf. At night, sometimes the lights are difficult to see against the background of city lights. A radio beacon and fog signal are at the end of Stearns Wharf.

CHANNELS: A dredged entrance channel leads NW between the breakwater and Stearns Wharf then turns SW into the harbor. The channel is marked by buoys.

BUOYS/LIGHT: Santa Barbara light flashes white every 10 seconds

142 ft. 2 miles West of Harbor

Breakwater light flashes equal internal white every 2 seconds silence

Buoy "1" flashes green every 4 seconds

Buoy "3" flashes green every 2.5 seconds

Buoy "4" flashes red every 6 seconds

FOG SIGNAL: 2 blasts every 20 seconds (2 seconds blast, 2 seconds silence, 2 second blast 14 seconds silence)

DANGERS: The long sandbar North of the breakwater light is hard to see on a high tide during the night, but the mast of boats moored in the harbor are visible over the breakwater.

Water-skiing is permitted east of Stearns Wharf. Canoeing and rubber rafts are prohibited in the harbor/ocean area. A 5 mph speed limit is strictly enforced in the harbor. For information on boat launching, fishing licenses, etc., contact the Harbormaster's office, Breakwater, Santa Barbara. Fishing opportunities are plentiful in the Santa Barbara area. There is deep sea and surf fishing along the coast, pier fishing at Stearns Wharf and Goleta Beach.