Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 126kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sat 7 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Mon 9 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 154kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 265, good
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 558, fair
- Fri 639, too small
- Sat 739, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 939, poor
- Tue 1047, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Ar Loïs does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 3 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 39, poor | 4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 14°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:45 −1.2 mHigh 09:59 +1.3 mLow 16:38 −1.3 mHigh 22:53 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:08 −1.2 mHigh 11:28 +1.3 mLow 17:58 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:19 +1.1 mLow 06:24 −1.3 mHigh 12:46 +1.5 mLow 19:06 −1.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Ar Loïs on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Pors Carn 1.2 km away
- trigs 2.2 km away
- La Torche 2.4 km away
- Tronoen 3.6 km away
- Tréguennec 7.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ar Loïs
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (282°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (102°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Penmarc H, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,290–US$2,390 each
about US$1,290–US$2,390 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to BES, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$442–US$918 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$114–US$188 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,390 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
5 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Penmarc H its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Penmarch on Booking.com
5 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Guilvinec on Booking.com
12 min by car · 16 places to stay
About US$107 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 20m
About 17h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BES, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 30m by road
Flights ORD → BES on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.