Cargese
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- N 21 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 shollow
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 29, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 623, too small
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 916, too small
- Tue 1015, too small
- Wed 1133, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cargese 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 | 9, too small | 1 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the north, 21 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft4 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft4 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft3 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 19°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 01:04 +0.0 mLow 07:57 −0.1 mHigh 15:12 +0.1 mLow 22:21 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:29 +0.0 mLow 09:18 −0.1 mHigh 16:26 +0.1 mLow 23:16 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:16 +0.0 mLow 10:30 −0.1 mHigh 17:21 +0.1 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 in Jan
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 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 Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Cargese 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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More surf near here
3 places
- Arone 8 km away
- Sagone 9.5 km away
- tuccia left 16.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cargese
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (228°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (48°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 26°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cargèse, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,290–US$2,410 each
about US$1,290–US$2,410 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 AJA, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$509–US$1,060 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| 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$1,290–US$2,410 |
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 · 25 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Cargèse its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sagone on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Tiuccia on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 11 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 18h 10m
About 18h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → AJA, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → AJA on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.