Cargese
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- N 21 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 111, too small
- Mon 27, too small
- Tue 322, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 541, too small
- Fri 613, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cargese does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the north, 21 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft4 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft4 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the north, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft4 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 20°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 NovLow 06:38 −0.1 mHigh 13:45 +0.1 mLow 21:06 −0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:04 +0.0 mLow 07:57 −0.1 mHigh 15:12 +0.1 mLow 22:21 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:29 +0.0 mLow 09:18 −0.1 mHigh 16:26 +0.1 mLow 23:16 −0.1 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 Jan
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Cargese 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
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
3 places
- Arone 8 km away
- Sagone 9.5 km away
- tuccia left 16.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cargese
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (228°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (48°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 26°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cargèse, 1 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$2,410 each
about US$1,290–US$2,410 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 AJA, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$509–US$1,060 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| 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$2,410 |
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
2 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Cargèse its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sagone on Booking.com
17 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Tiuccia on Booking.com
26 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 18h 10m
About 18h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → AJA, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → AJA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.