La Tortue Surf Guide

La Tortue on the North Coast is an exposed reef break that only works once in a while. Winter and spring are the optimum times of year to visit. Works best in offshore winds from the east. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the north. A choice of left and right reefs. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Beware of rocks, coral etc.

La Tortue Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef4inconsistent
27.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing La Tortue:

The best conditions reported for surf at La Tortue occur when a North swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

What's the best time of year to surf La Tortue (for consistent clean waves)?

novemberBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing La Tortue with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of November. Clean surfable waves are typically found 40% of the time in November while 2% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 58% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
40%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
2%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
58%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore La Tortue Location Map

Interactive La Tortue surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to La Tortue is Gustavia/st.barthel (St.-barthelemy) Airport (SBH) in Antilles, 5 km (3 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to La Tortue is Grand Case (St. Martin) Airport (SFG), also in Antilles, 32 km (20 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
La Tortue Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 01:23 Local Time
TueWednesday 06
11PM2AM5AM8AM
Wave (m)
1.1
E
0.6
NNE
0.6
NNE
0.6
NNE
Period (s) 6 10 9 9
Wind (km/h)
25
25
30
25
Wind State off off off off

Swell History at La Tortue

Surf stats for La Tortue, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at La Tortue

Wind stats for La Tortue, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest