Cote des Basques
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 109kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- S 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 235, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 520, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 101, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 302kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 22°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 03:33 −1.0 mHigh 10:03 +1.2 mLow 16:27 −1.2 mHigh 23:01 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:54 −1.0 mHigh 11:27 +1.2 mLow 17:47 −1.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:19 +1.1 mLow 06:11 −1.1 mHigh 12:40 +1.4 mLow 18:54 −1.4 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 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
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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, its town, photos
Cote des Basques on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Cote des Basques
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More surf near here
5 places
- Grande Plage 0.9 km away
- Biarritz Marbella 1.4 km away
- Milady 1.8 km away
- Chambre Damour 2.5 km away
- BidartII 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cote des Basques
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (288°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (108°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Biarritz, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,200–US$2,240 each
about US$1,200–US$2,240 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 BIQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$971 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,240 |
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
about 5 min by car · 108 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Biarritz its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Anglet on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 18 places to stay
- Beds in Bidart on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 32 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 30m
About 17h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BIQ, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → BIQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.