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Near Bird Island (Saipan). Photo: U.S. Coast Guard photo by [null Courtesy], Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Bird Island (Saipan)

Surf spot · Northern Mariana Islands

Is it worth the trip?

36Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 6 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
280kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Tue 3 · 28 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 shollow
Energy
134kJ
Wind
ESE 10 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 25 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
205kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 25 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
238kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 40 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 shollow
Energy
332kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 41 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 shollow
Energy
372kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 38 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 shollow
Energy
180kJ
Wind
ESE 10 kn
Temp
29°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 160, good
  2. Mon 235, poor
  3. Tue 328, poor
  4. Wed 425, poor
  5. Thu 525, poor
  6. Fri 640, poor
  7. Sat 741, poor
  8. Sun 838, poor
  9. Mon 924, poor
  10. Tue 1036, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 30 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Bird Island (Saipan), each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov60, good4 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)238kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots29°C
Mon 2Nov35, poor4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)280kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov28, poor4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.)134kJwind from the east-south-east, 10 knots29°C
Wed 4Nov25, poor5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)205kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots28°C
Thu 5Nov25, poor4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)238kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots28°C
Fri 6Nov40, poor6 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.)332kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov41, poor6 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.)372kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov38, poor4 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)180kJwind from the east-south-east, 10 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov24, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)118kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov36, poor5 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.)205kJwind from the east, 9 knots28°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

  • Sun 1 NovLow 06:00 −0.4 mHigh 14:28 +0.3 mLow 20:03 +0.1 mHigh 22:38 +0.2 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 06:59 −0.4 mHigh 15:05 +0.3 mLow 20:59 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:23 +0.1 mLow 07:59 −0.3 mHigh 15:36 +0.3 mLow 21:46 +0.0 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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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

Photos of Bird Island (Saipan)

Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - panoramio (8)
Photo: rambler.panoramio, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bird Island (Saipan)

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SE (138°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (318°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in June, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Saipan, 8.1 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 30°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$1,290–US$2,490 each

about US$1,290–US$2,490 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SPN, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$744–US$1,540
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$67
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$328
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$415
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,290–US$2,490

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 2 towns

Closest

Saipan

14 min by car · 3 places to stay

See 3 places to stay in Saipan · Booking.com

About Saipan its beds, food and every spot near it

Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 28h 55m

About 28h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SPN, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 40 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.