Palplanche
Surf spot · Gabon
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (2 ft swell at 8 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 210, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 53, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 103, too small
- Wed 116, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Palplanche does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 27°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 04:00 −0.3 mHigh 10:06 +0.3 mLow 16:24 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:30 −0.3 mHigh 11:38 +0.3 mLow 17:40 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:37 +0.6 mLow 06:46 −0.4 mHigh 12:53 +0.4 mLow 18:46 −0.5 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.
Map
the spot and its town
Palplanche 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 Palplanche
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (30°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (210°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 25°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Port-Gentil. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 28°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$1,290–US$2,470 each
about US$1,290–US$2,470 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 LBV, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$683–US$1,410 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| 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$1,290–US$2,470 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Port-Gentil
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 25 min by car · 21 places to stay
About Port-Gentil its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Port-Gentil, 13 km (about 25 min by car)
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 26h
About 26h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LBV, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 2h 45m by road
Flights ORD → LBV 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.