Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (1 ft swell at 6 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 119, too small
- Mon 219, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 513, too small
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 817, too small
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1063, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Nov–Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the east, 10 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | offshorewind from the east, 10 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft5 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft5 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 63, good | 3 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 28°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 01:06 +0.9 mLow 10:35 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:59 +0.8 mLow 11:43 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:09 +0.6 mLow 12:43 −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.
Best time to go
best Nov–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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 and its town
Kudat 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kudat
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (289°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (109°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, November and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Bangau, 9 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Tuaran, 110 km. Nearest airport: Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI), 144 km.
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$1,140–US$2,260 each
about US$1,140–US$2,260 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 BKI, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,830 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| 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$1,140–US$2,260 |
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 110 km away
No town nearby
Bangau, 9 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Tuaran, 110 km. Nearest airport: Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI), 144 km.
See places to stay near Tuaran, 110 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 29h
About 29h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BKI, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 2h 50m by road
Flights ORD → BKI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.