Sainte Barbe
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 251kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 52kJ
- 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 158, fair
- Mon 274, good
- Tue 333, too small
- Wed 421, too small
- Thu 538, too small
- Fri 639, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 835, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 58, fair | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 509kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 74, good | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 251kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 33, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | 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
- Mar1of 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
Sainte Barbe 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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Photos of Sainte Barbe
More surf near here
5 places
- les flots bleus 0.3 km away
- Sainte Barbe Inside 0.3 km away
- Le Port 1.2 km away
- La bougie 1.7 km away
- Erromardie 2.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sainte Barbe
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (312°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (132°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). 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, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 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
2 min by car · 57 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Saint-Jean-de-Luz its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Guéthary on Booking.com
9 min by car · 35 places to stay
- Beds in Bidart on Booking.com
13 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.