La Tortue
Surf spot · Saint Barthélemy
Is it worth the trip?
32Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 8 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- ESE 14 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- WSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 78kJ
- 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 17, too small
- Mon 218, poor
- Tue 327, poor
- Wed 423, too small
- Thu 530, too small
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 737, too small
- Sun 842, too small
- Mon 969, good
- Tue 1064, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Oct1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
La Tortue 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 | 7, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east, 16 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, poor | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 14 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 12 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 69, good | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | 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.
Best time to go
best in Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 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
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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 Tortue 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
- point milou 1.3 km away
- Lorient 1.8 km away
- Toiny 2.8 km away
- Kawa 3.1 km away
- The Ledge 3.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Tortue
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (72°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (252°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 152). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gustavia, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 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
9 min by car · 28 places to stay
About Anse des Cayes its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Gustavia on Booking.com
11 min by car · 20 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.