Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 221kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 281kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 328kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 307kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 372kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 519kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 287kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 150, fair
- Mon 256, fair
- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 663, good
- Sat 757, fair
- Sun 864, good
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1060, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Mar3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Bulak benda does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 253kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 221kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft12 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 281kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 4 ft12 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 328kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft12 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 307kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 63, good | 3 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 372kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 57, fair | 5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 519kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 64, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 287kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 29°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 −0.8 mHigh 11:59 +0.2 mLow 17:22 −0.4 mHigh 23:45 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 06:52 −0.6 mHigh 13:02 +0.2 mLow 18:28 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:46 +0.5 mLow 07:57 −0.5 mHigh 14:31 +0.2 mLow 20:11 −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 in Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Bulak benda on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
2 places
- Batu Karas 4 km away
- pangandaran 18.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bulak benda
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (140°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (320°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 49). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually March, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Batukaras, 6.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,270–US$2,520 each
about US$1,270–US$2,520 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 KJT, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG and SIN, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$971–US$2,020 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$47–US$80 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| 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$1,270–US$2,520 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Batukaras
11 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$33/nightcountry average
About Batukaras its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$33 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. 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 36h 35m
About 36h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KJT, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), then 4h 40m by road
Flights ORD → KJT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.