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French Bay
Surf spot · Bahamas
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 109kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 329kJ
- Wind
- NNW 16 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 194kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 219, poor
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 656, fair
- Sat 771, good
- Sun 865, good
- Mon 942, poor
- Tue 1029, 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.
French Bay 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 | 19, poor | 5 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 14 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | 4 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 329kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 194kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 65, good | 4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 28°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 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:29 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.3 mHigh 15:50 +0.4 mLow 22:06 −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 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
French Bay 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
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
about 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.