Harbour

Santa Barbara Harbor

5.0Santa Barbara, United StatesSouthern California

Maximum length: 10.7 m
VHF channel: 12
Maximum draught: 1.2 m

Public harbour behind a 1928 detached breakwater on the California coast, with about 1100 berths and visitor moorings on first-come basis.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south, breakwater entrance buoyed and lit. Sand accretion is constant, the channel is dredged of about 300,000 cubic yards per year. Visitors call the Harbor Patrol on VHF 12 or 16, monitored 24/7. Dock at the Patrol Accommodation Dock at the west end on arrival.

Practical

Visitor berthing first come first served, vessels from 6 to 52 metres. Fuel berth near the harbour entrance with diesel and petrol, free pump-out when the fuel berth is open. Maximum draught 1.2 m at the visitor pontoons. Waterfront office 805 564 5531. Showers and heads on the harbour side.

Ashore

Stearns Wharf at 500 m east with Sea Center aquarium and restaurants. State Street and the city centre at 1 km north for shops, museums and Amtrak. Cabrillo Boulevard cycle path runs along the waterfront. West Beach at the foot of the harbour.

History

The detached breakwater was built in 1928 with a 1930 shore extension after Max Fleischmann donated 200,000 USD on a matching basis to the city. Unintended sand bypass blockage forced annual dredging from the 1930s on, with severe downstream erosion at Miramar and Sandyland in the decades that followed.

Key facts

Type: Harbour
Coordinates: 34.40517, -119.69290 (34°24.31'N 119°41.57'W)
Town: Santa Barbara
Country: United States
Maximum draught: 1.22 m
Maximum length: 11 m
VHF channel: 12
Phone: +18055645531
Boaters' rating: 5.0/5
Updated: July 7, 2026

Getting there

Santa Barbara Harbor lies at 34°24.31'N 119°41.57'W, that is 34.40517, -119.69290 in decimal degrees. Call the harbour on VHF channel 12 before entering.

Directions +18055645531VHF 12