Tarkwa Bay, Nigeria

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Cotonou, is 107 km away. Nearest airport: Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS), 21 km.

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About Tarkwa Bay

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

The spot faces SE (133°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (313°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 3.7 km out (1 in 370). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Cotonou, is 107 km away. Nearest airport: Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS), 21 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 20 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS), changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
See flights ORD → LOS · Skyscanner from about £560 returnAd
Getting there. 40 min from the airport to Tarkwa Bay.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Cotonou, is 107 km away. Nearest airport: Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS), 21 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Tarkwa Bay · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Tarkwa Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Tarkwa Bay on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Tarkwa Bay does not suit beginners. 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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Tarkwa Bay, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	19, too small	3 ft10 ssoft	210kJ	wind from the south-west, 8 knots	31°C
Mon 19Oct	21, too small	3 ft9 ssoft	189kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	30°C
Tue 20Oct	15, too small	3 ft8 ssoft	103kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	29°C
Wed 21Oct	18, too small	3 ft10 ssoft	204kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots	29°C
Thu 22Oct	21, too small	3 ft9 ssoft	153kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	30°C
Fri 23Oct	20, too small	3 ft8 ssoft	154kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	30°C
Sat 24Oct	16, too small	3 ft8 smushy	78kJ	wind from the south-west, 4 knots	30°C
Sun 25Oct	11, too small	2 ft7 smushy	45kJ	wind from the south-west, 4 knots	30°C
Mon 26Oct	6, too small	2 ft9 smushy	34kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots	30°C
Tue 27Oct	6, too small	1 ft10 ssoft	33kJ	wind from the south-west, 6 knots	29°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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to LOS, changing at JFK, then 40 min by road. About 20h 40 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to LOS, changing at JFK, then 40 min by road. About 20h 40 door to door

Rough cost

About £850–£1,680 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to LOS, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£560–£1,160
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£35–£60
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£850–£1,680

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

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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