Beach forecast for Cotonou
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (GMT+1) · Littoral, Benin Today, Wed, Oct 28 · GMT+1- Swimming
- Use care · 3.3 ft
- Water
- 84 °F · very warm
- Max UV
- 10 · SPF 50
- Low tide
- 11:56 am
Today, Wednesday, October 28, it's a fair beach day in Cotonou (6/10). The best hours are from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm: sunshine, little wind, water at 84 °F and low tide at 11:56 am, though with intense heat and some waves. The best day this week is Friday, October 30, at 7/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 6Fair beach day | 8:00 am–12:00 pm | Use care · 3.3 ft | 84 °F | 10 |
| Thu 29 | 5Fair beach day | 4:00–6:00 pm8:00 am–12:00 pm | Calm · 2.5 ft | 85 °F | 9 |
| Fri 30 | 7Good beach day | 8:00–10:00 am | Calm · 2.4 ft | 85 °F | 8 |
| Sat 31 | 7Good beach day | 8:00–10:00 am | Calm · 2.3 ft | 85 °F | 9 |
| Sun 1 | 6Fair beach day | 8:00–10:00 am4:00–6:00 pm | Use care · 2.7 ft | 85 °F | 9 |
| Mon 2 | 6Fair beach day | 8:00–10:00 am | Use care · 2.8 ft | 85 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 3Poor beach day | No good window | Use care · 2.8 ft | 85 °F | — |
Each rating comes from sun, temperature, rain, wind, waves, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide.
Today in detail
2 good hours- Mostly sunny
- Almost no wind
- UV 7 (high): SPF 50 sunscreen
- Water at 84 °F (very warm)
- Low tide at 11:56 am: more sand
- Feels like 100 °F: very hot: drink water and find shade
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Use care · 3.3 ft
3.3 ft waves every 8 s: swim with care and stay where you can stand. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 84 °F
Very warm: barely refreshing.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 10 · SPF 50
Max UV 10 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours. Seek shade 12:00–2:00 pm (very high UV).
- Wind 6 mph
Onshore breeze (6 mph).
- Tide & sand 11:56 am
Low tide at 11:56 am: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 5:34 am and 6:21 pm. Coefficient 101 (spring tides): little sand left at high tide.
The best window, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, brings sunshine, little wind, water at 84 °F and low tide at 11:56 am, though with intense heat and some waves.
We don't have data on jellyfish, sargassum or beach closures: ask the lifeguard or check with the local beach authority.
Today, hour by hour
| Time | Rating | Sky | Feels like | Wind | Waves | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | 6 | Mainly clear | 93 °F | 2 mph | 3.3 ft | 1 |
| 9:00 am | 6 | Mainly clear | 94 °F | 2 mph | 3.3 ft | 3 |
| 10:00 am | 6 | Mainly clear | 96 °F | 2 mph | 3.2 ft | 5 |
| 11:00 am | 5 | Mainly clear | 100 °F | 2 mph | 3.2 ft | 7 |
| 12:00 pm | 4 | Mainly clear | 103 °F | 3 mph | 3.2 ft | 10 |
| 1:00 pm | 0 | Mainly clear | 104 °F | 3 mph | 3.2 ft | 9 |
| 2:00 pm | 0 | Light showers | 103 °F | 0 mph | 3.2 ft | 7 |
| 3:00 pm | 0 | Light showers | 98 °F | 3 mph | 3.1 ft | 5 |
| 4:00 pm | 1 | Light showers | 94 °F | 5 mph | 3.1 ft | 2 |
| 5:00 pm | 0 | Light drizzle | 92 °F | 6 mph | 3.1 ft | 1 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Cotonou
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Obama Beach 1.8 mi · SW
Named beaches within 6.2 mi, nearest first. Amenities from OpenStreetMap: some may be missing or out of date. View on OpenStreetMap · Add or fix on OpenStreetMap
Beaches and amenities: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Webcams near Cotonou
Webcams provided by windy.com — add a webcam
How we rate a beach day
We rate every beach hour from 0 to 10 with simple, fixed rules:
- Adds: sunshine (up to 3 points, fewer with more clouds), warmth (up to 4, from the feels-like temperature; ideal between 81 °F and 91 °F), a calm sea (1), water at 70 °F or warmer (1; from 64 °F, half) and low or mid tide (1: more sand). Anything without data is left out and the rest is scaled to 10.
- Takes away: cold (feels-like below 64 °F, 1 to 4 points), rain (half a point if likely, up to 6 if it rains; thunderstorms, 8), wind from force 4, about 12 mph (1 to 6 points; half a point more if offshore, which blows inflatables out to sea, or onshore, which churns the water), waves (1 to swim with care, 4 if dangerous, 1 more for high rip current risk), very high UV (half a point; extreme, 1), water below 59 °F (1) and spring high tides (1: little sand left).
- Swimming: calm, use care (waves from 2.6 ft, or long swell) or dangerous (from 6.6 ft, or 4.9 ft with a long period), based on how much of the wave reaches this shore given the way it faces. In the U.S., today's and tomorrow's rip current risk comes from the National Weather Service surf zone forecast when it issues one; otherwise we estimate it from the waves.
- Best windows: runs of 2 to 5 hours rated 4 or more and close to the best hour, at least one hour apart.
- Day rating: the average of the best window; a 2-hour window keeps 85% of it and a 3-hour window 95%.
Today, in the best window: sun 2 of 3, warmth 2.8 of 4, calm sea 0 of 1, water 1 of 1 and tide 0.9 of 1; minus waves 1.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: weather changes and every beach is different. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
Questions about the beach in Cotonou
Is it a beach day in Cotonou today?
A fair beach day: 6/10. Best from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, with sunshine, little wind, water at 84 °F and low tide at 11:56 am, though with intense heat and some waves.
What are the swimming conditions in Cotonou today?
3.3 ft waves every 8 s: swim with care and stay where you can stand. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in Cotonou?
About 84 °F today: very warm. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in Cotonou today?
UV reaches 10 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, and seek shade from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
When is low tide in Cotonou?
Today low tide is at 11:56 am: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 5:34 am and 6:21 pm. Coefficient 101 (spring tides): little sand left at high tide.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Cotonou?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a fair beach day (5/10), best from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
What beaches are near Cotonou?
Obama Beach (1.8 mi). See below for amenities and water quality.
Are there jellyfish or sargassum today?
We don't know: there's no open data on jellyfish, sargassum or closures for each beach. Ask the lifeguard, check the flags or the local beach authority's website.
How is the rating worked out?
From the hourly forecast: sun and clouds, feels-like temperature, rain, wind (and whether it blows onshore or offshore), waves and their period, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide. Each factor adds or takes away a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
More about Cotonou today
Learn more
Our own calculation, using the Open-Meteo forecast (ECMWF, NOAA GFS, Météo-France, Copernicus Marine and CAMS, CC BY 4.0), the tide from FES2022 (AVISO/CNES) and the sun from astronomy-engine. FES2022 Tide was produced by LEGOS, NOVELTIS and CLS, funded by CNES, and distributed by AVISO (https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/a01-2024.004), AVISO licence (https://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/fileadmin/documents/data/License_Aviso.pdf). Modified by TidePlanet: constants interpolated from the nearest model cells offshore; heights above mean sea level.