Desaru
Surf spot · Malaysia
Is it worth the trip?
6Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NW 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft6 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 18, too small
- Mon 28, too small
- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | under 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 0 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 26°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 02:25 +0.9 mLow 07:59 +0.0 mHigh 12:23 +0.4 mLow 19:45 −1.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:32 +0.8 mLow 09:08 +0.0 mHigh 13:38 +0.3 mLow 20:54 −1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:37 +0.7 mLow 10:22 −0.1 mHigh 15:21 +0.3 mLow 22:11 −0.9 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 Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 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, its town, photos
Desaru 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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Photos of Desaru
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Desaru
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (69°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (249°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 192). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually November, with about 5 good days in 7; in February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bandar Penawar, 3.6 km away (about 10 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$2,540 each
about US$1,290–US$2,540 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 SIN, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$931–US$1,940 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$100–US$167 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$114–US$208 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,540 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Bandar Penawar
6 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About Bandar Penawar its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$40 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 28h 05m
About 28h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SIN, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → SIN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.