Vanthrax
Surf spot · France
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- S 20 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 278, good
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 543, too small
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 726, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 106, too small
- Wed 1116, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Vanthrax 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 | 78, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 253kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the south, 6 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the south, 20 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south, 14 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the south, 11 knots, offshore | 20°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 03:33 −1.0 mHigh 10:03 +1.2 mLow 16:27 −1.2 mHigh 23:01 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:54 −1.0 mHigh 11:27 +1.2 mLow 17:47 −1.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:19 +1.1 mLow 06:11 −1.1 mHigh 12:40 +1.4 mLow 18:54 −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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 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
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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
- Dec2of 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
Vanthrax 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
5 places
- Les deux jumeaux 1.9 km away
- Belharra 3.1 km away
- Hendaye 3.1 km away
- La bougie 6 km away
- Le Port 6.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Vanthrax
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (343°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (163°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Hendaye, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots, 3 dive sites, 1 kayak spot, 1 climbing area and 1 mountain bike area.
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$1,200–US$2,240 each
about US$1,200–US$2,240 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 EAS, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$971 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,240 |
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 · 36 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Hendaye its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Saint-Jean-de-Luz on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 57 places to stay
- Beds in Guéthary on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 35 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 10m
About 17h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EAS, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → EAS 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.