Préfailles
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (2 ft swell at 12 s), 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 scrumbling
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NE 15 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Mon 9 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SE 15 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 216, too small
- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 69, too small
- Sat 75, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 105, too small
- Wed 1117, 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 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Feb–Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft16 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-east, 15 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 219kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 16°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 03:57 −1.4 mHigh 10:05 +1.3 mLow 16:42 −1.6 mHigh 23:28 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:10 −1.4 mHigh 12:02 +1.3 mLow 17:54 −1.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:56 +1.2 mLow 06:20 −1.5 mHigh 13:18 +1.5 mLow 18:59 −1.8 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 Feb–Apr
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 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
- 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
- Nov1of 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 and its town
Préfailles on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
4 places
- Margaret 0.4 km away
- La Couronne 6.3 km away
- Gohaud 8.1 km away
- St Brévin - l'Ermitage 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Préfailles
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 exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 96). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 19°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March and April, with about 2 good days in 7; in July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Préfailles, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,310–US$2,420 each
about US$1,310–US$2,420 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 NTE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$456–US$945 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| 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$1,310–US$2,420 |
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 · 10 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Préfailles its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 11 places to stay
- Beds in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins on Booking.com
about 25 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 17h 15m
About 17h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NTE, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → NTE 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.