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French Bay
Surf spot · Bahamas
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 125kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- NNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, poor
- Mon 221, poor
- Tue 364, good
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 541, too small
- Fri 649, fair
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 930, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 25, poor | 4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the east, 20 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 21, poor | 5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 64, good | 4 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the north, 8 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 27°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 00:03 +0.2 mLow 06:00 −0.4 mHigh 12:47 +0.5 mLow 19:24 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:14 +0.3 mLow 07:13 −0.3 mHigh 13:51 +0.5 mLow 20:22 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:25 +0.3 mLow 08:28 −0.3 mHigh 14:52 +0.4 mLow 21:16 −0.3 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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
French Bay 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About French Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (176°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (356°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 12). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 26°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cockburn Town.
Water about 28°C: no 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$1,040–US$1,900 each
about US$1,040–US$1,900 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 MDW to ZSA, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$221–US$462 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$328–US$549 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$375–US$697 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,040–US$1,900 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Cockburn Town
20 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Cockburn Town its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Cockburn Town, 11 km (about 20 min by car)
About US$121 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 11h
About 11h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ZSA, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → ZSA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.