Lafitenia
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 226kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 162, good
- Mon 271, good
- Tue 342, too small
- Wed 419, too small
- Thu 535, too small
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 832, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Lafitenia 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 | 62, good | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 461kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 71, good | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 226kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 02:21 −1.2 mHigh 08:41 +1.3 mLow 15:08 −1.3 mHigh 21:34 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:33 −1.0 mHigh 10:03 +1.2 mLow 16:27 −1.2 mHigh 23:01 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:54 −1.0 mHigh 11:27 +1.2 mLow 17:47 −1.3 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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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 Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Lafitenia 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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Photos of Lafitenia
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More surf near here
5 places
- Plage de Mayarco 0.6 km away
- Erromardie 0.9 km away
- Cenitz 1.2 km away
- Guethary 2 km away
- Parlementia 2.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lafitenia
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (324°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (144°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Saint-Jean-de-Luz, 4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.
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$1,210–US$2,250 each
about US$1,210–US$2,250 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 EAS, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$971 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| 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$1,210–US$2,250 |
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
4 min by car · 35 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Guéthary its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Saint-Jean-de-Luz on Booking.com
7 min by car · 57 places to stay
- Beds in Bidart on Booking.com
8 min by car · 32 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 10m
About 17h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EAS, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → EAS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.