Staying Home Sucks, home
恒春古城西门 - West Gate of Old Hengchun Town - 2012.02 - panoramio
Hengchun, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: rheins, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Houbihu

Surf spot · Taiwan

Is it worth the trip?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 48 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
293kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 42 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
306kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
29°C

Thu 5 · 46 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 ssoft
Energy
381kJ
Wind
WNW 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 55 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
271kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
29°C

Sat 7 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
28kJ
Wind
NE 21 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 22 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
145kJ
Wind
NE 16 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 19 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
109kJ
Wind
ENE 16 kn
Temp
27°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 253, fair
  2. Tue 348, fair
  3. Wed 442, poor
  4. Thu 546, fair
  5. Fri 655, fair
  6. Sat 75, too small
  7. Sun 822, too small
  8. Mon 919, too small
  9. Tue 1036, poor
  10. Wed 1136, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–15 ftof swell
  • Water 27 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Houbihu, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov53, fair5 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)301kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots30°C
Tue 3Nov48, fair5 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)293kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov42, poor5 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)306kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots29°C
Thu 5Nov46, fair6 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)381kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Fri 6Nov55, fair4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)271kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots29°C
Sat 7Nov5, too small1 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)28kJwind from the north-east, 21 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov22, too small3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)145kJwind from the north-east, 16 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov19, too small3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)109kJwind from the east-north-east, 16 knots27°C
Tue 10Nov36, poor4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)202kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots27°C
Wed 11Nov36, poor5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)320kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots24°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 NovLow 07:18 −0.4 mHigh 14:05 −0.0 mLow 16:43 −0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:32 +0.5 mLow 08:33 −0.4 mHigh 15:03 +0.1 mLow 19:24 −0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 02:10 +0.4 mLow 09:28 −0.3 mHigh 15:40 +0.2 mLow 21:09 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Houbihu

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

The spot faces SE (147°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (327°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–15 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 29°C in June, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Hengchun, 6.5 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,390–US$2,670 each

about US$1,390–US$2,670 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 ORD to KHH, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$777–US$1,610
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$328
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$415
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,390–US$2,670

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Hengchun

Closest

Hengchun

about 15 min by car · 439 places to stay

See 439 places to stay in Hengchun · Booking.com

About Hengchun 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 20m

About 26h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KHH, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 1h 45m by road

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