secret bay
Surf spot · Gambia
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 158kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 210kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 243, too small
- Tue 357, fair
- Wed 433, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
- Wed 1129, 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
secret bay 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 | 43, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 158kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 210kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft12 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 31°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 29°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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
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 2 November 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$510–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$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| 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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
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 2 November 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 · 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.