Is it worth the trip?
77Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 13 s
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 188kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 193kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 285kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 89 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 422kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 274, good
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 569, good
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 789, good
- Sun 881, good
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1060, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Feb–Mar6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 74, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 299kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 4 ft7 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 69, good | 4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 89, good | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 422kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 81, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 3 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:48 −0.3 mHigh 11:54 +0.1 mLow 17:00 −0.1 mHigh 23:58 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 07:10 −0.3 mHigh 13:32 +0.2 mLow 19:06 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:26 +0.3 mLow 08:17 −0.3 mHigh 14:44 +0.3 mLow 20:47 −0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Feb–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Bankvaults on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bankvaults
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (195°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (15°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and March, with about 6 good days in 7; in July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Muara Siberut, 29 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Tuapejat, 43 km (about 1h 20m by car). Nearest airport: Minangkabau International Airport (PDG), 165 km. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,150–US$2,320 each
about US$1,150–US$2,320 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PDG, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG and KUL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$951–US$1,970 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$47–US$80 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$107–US$194 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$47–US$74 |
| Total | about US$1,150–US$2,320 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 43 km away
No town nearby
Muara Siberut, 29 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Tuapejat, 43 km (about 1h 20m by car). Nearest airport: Minangkabau International Airport (PDG), 165 km.
See places to stay near Tuapejat, 43 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 37h 10m
About 37h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDG, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), then 6h by road
Flights ORD → PDG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.