.jpg){kind=link}
Lacanau
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 2 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 259, fair
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 644, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 920, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Lacanau 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 | 59, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 206kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 2 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 44, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the south, 14 knots | 18°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 03:29 −1.1 mHigh 10:05 +1.2 mLow 16:21 −1.3 mHigh 23:05 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:48 −1.1 mHigh 11:32 +1.3 mLow 17:40 −1.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:22 +1.1 mLow 06:04 −1.2 mHigh 12:44 +1.4 mLow 18:48 −1.4 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
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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, its town, photos
Lacanau 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.
Photos of Lacanau
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
5 places
- Lacanau Supersud 1.9 km away
- Carcans 9.1 km away
- Le Porge 12.2 km away
- Crohot des cavalles 12.4 km away
- La Jenny 16.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lacanau
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (275°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (95°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Lacanau Ocean, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 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$1,320–US$2,440 each
about US$1,320–US$2,440 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 BOD, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$965 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| 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$1,320–US$2,440 |
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
about 5 min by car · 33 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Lacanau Ocean its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lacanau on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Carcans on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 2 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 17h 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BOD, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → BOD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.