La Rochelle - Chef de baie
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (1 ft swell at 13 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft17 s
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 229, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 420, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
- Wed 1125, 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
La Rochelle - Chef de baie 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 | 29, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft17 s1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft13 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 19°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 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:56 +1.3 mLow 06:07 −1.5 mHigh 13:18 +1.6 mLow 18:46 −1.8 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 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
La Rochelle - Chef de baie 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Live webcam
press to load it
Live webcam
Port des Minimes, 4 km away
Near La Rochelle - Chef de baie, 5 km away
Webcams belong to their owners. Nothing from the webcam's site loads until you press the button.
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 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
about 15 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.