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Calais
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
6Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (4 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 14, too small
- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 42, too small
- Thu 52, too small
- Fri 61, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 91, too small
- Tue 100, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Calais does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the north-east, 14 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 4 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 15°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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:37 +2.6 mLow 11:20 −2.4 mHigh 17:07 +2.6 mLow 23:59 −2.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:37 +2.3 mLow 12:34 −2.1 mHigh 18:13 +2.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:16 −2.0 mHigh 06:46 +2.0 mLow 13:52 −2.1 mHigh 19:28 +2.0 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.
Map
the spot and its town
Calais on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Sangatte 7.3 km away
- Cap Blanc Nez 11.2 km away
- Oye plage (escardines) 13.7 km away
- Wissant 15 km away
- Tardinghen 18.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Calais
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 93). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Calais, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car).
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$1,300–US$2,400 each
about US$1,300–US$2,400 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 LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$925 |
| 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$1,300–US$2,400 |
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
1 min by car · 37 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Calais its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sangatte on Booking.com
13 min by car · 12 places to stay
- Beds in Escalles on Booking.com
19 min by car · 11 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 15h 40m
About 15h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LHR, direct, then 3h 15m by road
Flights ORD → LHR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.