Kawa
Surf spot · Saint Barthélemy
Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: too small (3 ft swell at 8 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- ESE 14 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- WSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 14, too small
- Mon 29, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 956, fair
- Tue 1042, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Kawa 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 | 4, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the east, 16 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 14 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:24 −0.1 mHigh 14:21 +0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 06:34 −0.1 mHigh 14:58 +0.2 mLow 22:18 +0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:21 +0.0 mLow 07:50 −0.1 mHigh 15:28 +0.1 mLow 22:07 +0.0 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.
Map
the spot and its town
Kawa 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Grand Mère 0.5 km away
- Washing Machine 0.7 km away
- Toiny 1.3 km away
- point milou 2.6 km away
- The Ledge 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kawa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (137°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (317°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 26°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Gustavia, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 29°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$898–US$1,660 each
about US$898–US$1,660 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 SXM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$288–US$603 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$898–US$1,660 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
8 min by car · 20 places to stay
About Gustavia its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Anse des Cayes on Booking.com
9 min by car · 28 places to stay
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 9h 40m
About 9h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SXM, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → SXM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.