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Le Sail Fish, France

Stay in Arcachon: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Arcachon

All 19 on Arcachon's map

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About Le Sail Fish

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (273°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (93°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Arcachon, 7.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 17 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD), changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 11 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → BOD · Skyscanner from about £410 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 1 h 10 from the airport to Le Sail Fish.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in ArcachonAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Arcachon (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Le Sail Fish, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct18, too small3 ft10 s195kJwind from the north, 11 knots16°C
Mon 19Oct12, too small2 ft15 s126kJwind from the east, 6 knots, offshore15°C
Tue 20Oct30, too small4 ft12 s484kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots16°C
Wed 21Oct1, too small2 ft12 s103kJwind from the west-north-west, 21 knots16°C
Thu 22Oct0, too big9 ft9 s1,232kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots17°C
Fri 23Oct0, too big12 ft12 s3,587kJwind from the west-north-west, 23 knots16°C
Sat 24Oct4, poor9 ft9 s1,153kJwind from the west, 18 knots17°C
Sun 25Oct0, too big12 ft9 s2,297kJwind from the west-north-west, 26 knots18°C
Mon 26Oct0, too big10 ft9 s1,566kJwind from the west-south-west, 12 knots18°C
Tue 27Oct57, good7 ft7 s446kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore19°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to BOD, changing at DUB, then 1h 10 by road. About 17h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 13 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to BOD, changing at DUB, then 1h 10 by road. About 17h 35 door to door

The plan picks the best of 12 spots near Arcachon each day: Cap Ferret, Cap Ferret Chenal, La Garonne, La Torchere, La vache morte, Le Bayle Nord, Le Cimetière, Le pelican mort, Le petit train, Le Sail Fish, Le Truc Vert, Les Dunes.

The trip from Arcachon, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,130–£2,110 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to BOD, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£410–£855
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£105–£175
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£255–£425
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£85–£145
Total£1,130–£2,110

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Arcachon

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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