Pontaillac
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
23Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft17 s
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 247, fair
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 531, too small
- Fri 624, too small
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Pontaillac 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 | 47, fair | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 111kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft17 s1 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 12°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 20°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 03:53 −1.3 mHigh 10:21 +1.4 mLow 16:43 −1.4 mHigh 23:21 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:11 −1.2 mHigh 11:52 +1.4 mLow 18:00 −1.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:41 +1.3 mLow 06:25 −1.4 mHigh 13:05 +1.6 mLow 19:07 −1.6 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
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 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
- 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, its town, photos
Pontaillac 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 Pontaillac
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At Pontaillac
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More surf near here
5 places
- Nauzan 2.7 km away
- St Georges de Didonne - la jetee 5.1 km away
- Grande Côte - Saint Palais 9.8 km away
- Côte sauvage - Phare de la Coubre (lighthouse) 16.5 km away
- Côte sauvage - Le 47 17.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pontaillac
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (234°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (54°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Royan, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 2 wind sports spots.
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$1,310–US$2,430 each
about US$1,310–US$2,430 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 LRH, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$951 |
| 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$1,310–US$2,430 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 43 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Royan its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in St Palais Sur Mer on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 31 places to stay
- Beds in Saint-Georges-de-Didonne on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 21 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 40m
About 17h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LRH, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 25m 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.