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Ile de Ré - La Couarde
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
13Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 141kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- NNE 16 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 144, too small
- Mon 223, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 513, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 91, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 399kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 16 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 12°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 16°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 02:41 −1.6 mHigh 08:31 +1.4 mLow 15:21 −1.7 mHigh 21:40 +1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:48 −1.4 mHigh 10:25 +1.3 mLow 16:32 −1.6 mHigh 23:41 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:59 −1.4 mHigh 12:09 +1.4 mLow 17:43 −1.6 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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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
Ile de Ré - La Couarde 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Ile de Ré - Le gouyot 3.6 km away
- Ile de Ré - Les Grenettes 6.2 km away
- Ile de Ré - Le lizay 10.4 km away
- Ile de Ré - Petit bec 10.4 km away
- Ile de ré- rivedoux 13.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ile de Ré - La Couarde
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (209°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (29°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 4.3 km out (1 in 435). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 20°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is La Couarde-sur-Mer, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 15°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$1,210–US$2,260 each
about US$1,210–US$2,260 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 LRH, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$951 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$67 |
| 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$1,210–US$2,260 |
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 · 22 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About La Couarde-sur-Mer its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré on Booking.com
5 min by car · 34 places to stay
- Beds in La Noue on Booking.com
14 min by car · 26 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 16h 55m
About 16h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LRH, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → LRH on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.