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Lacanau
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 443, too small
- Thu 556, fair
- Fri 647, fair
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 1029, too small
- Wed 1142, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Lacanau 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 | 58, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 206kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 47, fair | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 17°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 03:29 −1.1 mHigh 10:05 +1.2 mLow 16:21 −1.3 mHigh 23:05 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:48 −1.1 mHigh 11:32 +1.3 mLow 17:40 −1.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:22 +1.1 mLow 06:04 −1.2 mHigh 12:44 +1.4 mLow 18:48 −1.4 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
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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 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 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
Lacanau 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Lacanau
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More surf near here
5 places
- Lacanau Supersud 1.9 km away
- Carcans 9.1 km away
- Le Porge 12.2 km away
- Crohot des cavalles 12.4 km away
- La Jenny 16.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lacanau
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (275°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (95°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Lacanau Ocean, 0.8 km away (2 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,320–US$2,440 each
about US$1,320–US$2,440 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to BOD, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$470–US$966 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$114–US$188 |
| Total | about US$1,320–US$2,440 |
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
2 min by car · 33 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Lacanau Ocean its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lacanau on Booking.com
12 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Carcans on Booking.com
24 min by car · 2 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BOD, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → BOD on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
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.