Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 193kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 176kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- WNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 94kJ
- Wind
- WNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 240, too small
- Tue 334, too small
- Wed 428, too small
- Thu 528, too small
- Fri 622, too small
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 822, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
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 Apr6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 40, too small | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, too small | 4 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | offshorewind from the west, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the west, 14 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:42 +0.3 mLow 13:16 −0.1 mHigh 19:18 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:16 −0.1 mHigh 08:32 +0.2 mLow 15:30 −0.1 mHigh 21:49 +0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:50 −0.1 mHigh 10:00 +0.3 mLow 16:37 −0.2 mHigh 23:02 +0.3 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 Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Five Islands 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.
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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Five Islands
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 2.3 km out (1 in 227). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 6 good days in 7; in July, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Vaadhoo, 10 km (about 20 min by car). Nearest airport: Kaadedhdhoo Airport (KDM), 48 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,320–US$2,620 each
about US$1,320–US$2,620 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 GAN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$931–US$1,940 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,320–US$2,620 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 10 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Vaadhoo, 10 km (about 20 min by car). Nearest airport: Kaadedhdhoo Airport (KDM), 48 km.
See places to stay near Vaadhoo, 10 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 33h 50m
About 33h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → GAN, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 2h 10m by road
Flights ORD → GAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.