Ouakam
Surf spot · Senegal
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 515kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 499kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Wed 4 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- NNE 14 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 34°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 35°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 19, too small
- Mon 235, too small
- Tue 335, too small
- Wed 417, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Expertwho it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Dec–Mar1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Ouakam does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 35, too small | 5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 515kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 35, too small | 5 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 499kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 34°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 35°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the east, 10 knots, offshore | 36°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 244kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 34°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 NovHigh 00:55 +0.6 mLow 07:26 −0.4 mHigh 13:39 +0.3 mLow 19:25 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:07 +0.5 mLow 08:41 −0.4 mHigh 15:04 +0.3 mLow 20:41 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:28 +0.5 mLow 10:01 −0.4 mHigh 16:28 +0.3 mLow 22:04 −0.3 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
best Dec–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for expert 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
- 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
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 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
Ouakam on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Petites Mamelles 1.7 km away
- Julikai 2.5 km away
- Secret Spot 2.8 km away
- Le Virage 3.5 km away
- Speed Point 3.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ouakam
Facing, offshore wind, exposure and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (223°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (43°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 20°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in October, its warmest (no wetsuit). For expert surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and December, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Dakar, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots.
Water about 28°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$871–US$1,670 each
about US$871–US$1,670 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 DSS, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$502–US$1,050 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$100 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$121–US$194 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$134–US$241 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$54–US$94 |
| Total | about US$871–US$1,670 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Dakar
2 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Dakar its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$47 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 18h 20m
About 18h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DSS, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → DSS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.