Dark Reef
Surf spot · Viet Nam
Is it worth the trip?
7Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: too small (2 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 19, too small
- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 44, too small
- Thu 57, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 87, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Dark Reef does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 27°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 00:05 +0.8 mLow 09:50 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:56 +0.7 mLow 10:52 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:04 +0.5 mLow 11:49 −0.7 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 and its town
Dark Reef 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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More surf near here
1 place
- Bai Dai Beach, Nha Trang 5.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Dark Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (94°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (274°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 71). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Nha Trang, 9.6 km away (about 20 min by car).
Water about 27°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$1,410–US$2,740 each
about US$1,410–US$2,740 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 CXR, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| 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$1,410–US$2,740 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Nha Trang
17 min by car · 700 places to stay
About Nha Trang 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 26h
About 26h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CXR, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → CXR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.