Staying Home Sucks, home
China Beach, Vancouver Island, view towards northwest 20240829 1
China Beach. Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

China Beach

Surf spot · Canada

Is it worth the trip?

37Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 54 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 smushy
Energy
230kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
9°C

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
124kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
10°C

Wed 4 · 25 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
34kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 48 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
289kJ
Wind
E 8 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 smushy
Energy
389kJ
Wind
W 16 kn
Temp
9°C

Sat 7 · 25 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
169kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
10°C

Sun 8 · 11 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 smushy
Energy
269kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
12°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 119, too small
  2. Mon 254, fair
  3. Tue 346, fair
  4. Wed 425, too small
  5. Thu 548, fair
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 725, poor
  8. Sun 811, poor
  9. Mon 946, fair
  10. Tue 1043, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 10 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for beginner surfers at China Beach, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov19, too small1 ft17 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots9°C
Mon 2Nov54, fair3 ft13 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)230kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots9°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair2 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)124kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots10°C
Wed 4Nov25, too small1 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots11°C
Thu 5Nov48, fair3 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)289kJwind from the east, 8 knots10°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big4 ft12 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)389kJwind from the west, 16 knots9°C
Sat 7Nov25, poor3 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots10°C
Sun 8Nov11, poor3 ft12 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)269kJwind from the south, 7 knots12°C
Mon 9Nov46, fair3 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)163kJwind from the east, 4 knots10°C
Tue 10Nov43, too small2 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the east, 8 knots13°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 NovHigh 05:40 +0.8 mLow 11:11 −0.3 mHigh 16:51 +1.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 00:00 −1.6 mHigh 06:47 +0.9 mLow 12:42 −0.4 mHigh 18:15 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 01:09 −1.4 mHigh 07:47 +1.0 mLow 14:03 −0.7 mHigh 19:42 +0.8 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 beginners: 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 China Beach

China Beach, Vancouver Island, view towards northwest 20240829 3
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
China Beach, Vancouver Island, view towards southeast 20240829 1
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chinabeach
Photo: Clump, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About China Beach

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

The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 62). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 12°C in August, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). The town to stay in is Port Renfrew. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 10°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,050–US$1,920 each

about US$1,050–US$1,920 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SEA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$275–US$456
Food7 days eating outabout US$308–US$576
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,050–US$1,920

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

Port Renfrew

48 min by car · 26 places to stay

about US$100/nightcountry average

See 26 places to stay in Port Renfrew · Booking.com

About Port Renfrew its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Port Renfrew, 27 km (about 50 min by car)

About US$100 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 9h 20m

About 9h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SEA, direct, then 3h 15m by road

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