Refugio State Beach is a protected state beach park located west of Santa Barbara, California. It is west of El Capitán State Beach. During the summer months, the Junior Life Guard program resides at the beach during the day.The Refugio oil spill occurred just north of park in 2015 when a pipeline ruptured. The spill went into a culvert that ran under the U.S. 101, and into the ocean. The spill spread over 7miles including this park and El Capitán State Beach. The parks were closed during the clean-up including the typically busy Memorial Day Weekend.
