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Ouakam, Senegal

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

Also within 20 km of Dakar

All 18 on Dakar's map

Watch this spot We email you when Ouakam is worth the trip.

A spectacle of color at Ouakam beach
Ouakam. Photo: Ruth Zurielly Jennings, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ouakam

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

The spot faces SW (223°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (43°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 20°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in October, its warmest (no wetsuit). For expert surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and December, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Dakar, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 18 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to DSS, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

    See flights ORD → DSS · Skyscanner from about £445 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Ouakam.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in DakarAd

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

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

    See all places to stay 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.

    Surf lessons in Dakar · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Dakar · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Ouakam on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Ouakam does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct223 ft11 shollow273kJ31°C
Mon 19Oct174 ft9 shollow186kJ32°C
Tue 20Oct122 ft9 shollow79kJ31°C
Wed 21Oct254 ft10 shollow277kJ32°C
Thu 22Oct193 ft10 shollow208kJ33°C
Fri 23Oct102 ft9 shollow71kJ34°C
Sat 24Oct92 ft9 shollow49kJ35°C
Sun 25Oct154 ft7 shollow104kJ35°C
Mon 26Oct174 ft7 shollow180kJ32°C
Tue 27Oct93 ft7 shollow90kJ31°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. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. 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 DSS, changing at JFK, then 1h 05 by road. About 18h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to DSS, changing at JFK, then 1h 05 by road. About 18h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 12 spots near Dakar each day: Corniche Ouest, Julikai, Le Virage, malika sur - mer, Ouakam, Petites Mamelles, Secret Spot, Speed Point, Vivier, Yoff, Yoff Ile gauche, Yoff Plage.

The trip from Dakar, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £775–£1,500 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DSS, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£445–£925
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£45–£75
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£105–£180
Food7 days eating out£100–£180
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£45–£75
Total£775–£1,500

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

Places to eat near Dakar

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.