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Bird Island (Saipan)
Surf spot · Northern Mariana Islands
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 6 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 131kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 211kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 254kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 315kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 402kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 192kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 215, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 419, too small
- Thu 521, too small
- Fri 633, too small
- Sat 741, poor
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
- Wed 1118, too small
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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 15, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, too small | 5 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 211kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, too small | 5 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 254kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 33, too small | 6 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 315kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 41, poor | 6 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 402kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 4 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 192kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 18, too small | 5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | wind from the east, 11 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 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:12 +0.1 mLow 08:59 −0.2 mHigh 16:02 +0.3 mLow 22:29 −0.1 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
Bird Island (Saipan) on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Bird Island (Saipan)
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More surf near here
4 places
- lanya s 12.6 km away
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- Obyan 19.7 km away
- Unknowns 19.7 km away
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SPN, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$744–US$1,540 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$67 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about 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
about 15 min by car · 3 places to stay
About Saipan its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Garapan on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 29 places to stay
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
Flights ORD → SPN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.