secret bay
Surf spot · Gambia
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 201kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 249, fair
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 619, too small
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Dec–Jan3 good days in 7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 210kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 3 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 201kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 31°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 NovHigh 00:56 +0.6 mLow 07:27 −0.5 mHigh 13:56 +0.4 mLow 19:37 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:22 +0.6 mLow 08:43 −0.5 mHigh 15:21 +0.4 mLow 20:55 −0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:39 +0.6 mLow 09:52 −0.5 mHigh 16:28 +0.5 mLow 22:06 −0.4 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
best Dec–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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
secret bay 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About secret bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (252°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (72°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and December, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gunjur, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 29°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$1,080–US$2,040 each
about US$1,080–US$2,040 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 BJL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$509–US$1,060 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,080–US$2,040 |
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 10 min by car · 8 places to stay
About Gunjur its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sukuta on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Serekunda on Booking.com
about 1h by car · 5 places to stay
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 20h 25m
About 20h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BJL, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → BJL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.