La Rochelle - Chef de baie
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
9Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 10 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, too small
- Mon 214, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 91, too small
- Tue 1015, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–14 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 | 25, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft12 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 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 02:39 −1.6 mHigh 08:26 +1.4 mLow 15:19 −1.7 mHigh 21:34 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:46 −1.4 mHigh 10:21 +1.3 mLow 16:30 −1.6 mHigh 23:40 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:58 −1.4 mHigh 12:09 +1.4 mLow 17:41 −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
- 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
La Rochelle - Chef de baie 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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Live webcam
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Port des Minimes, 4 km away
Near La Rochelle - Chef de baie, 5 km away
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More surf near here
1 place
- Aytré - lopette beach 5.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Rochelle - Chef de baie
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (212°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (32°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 4.2 km out (1 in 417). 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 Rochelle, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,190–US$2,220 each
about US$1,190–US$2,220 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$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$1,190–US$2,220 |
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 · 99 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About La Rochelle its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Aytré on Booking.com
13 min by car · 11 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 40m
About 16h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LRH, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → LRH on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.