Staying Home Sucks, home
View of Sokcho 01
Sokcho, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Sokcho

Surf spot · Republic of Korea

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 5 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
10kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 smushy
Energy
1kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft4 smushy
Energy
2kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 40 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
39kJ
Wind
WNW 14 kn
Temp
13°C

Sat 7 · 39 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
35kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
9°C

Sun 8 · 21 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
8kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
10°C

Mon 9 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
8kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
13°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 227, too small
  2. Tue 322, too small
  3. Wed 45, too small
  4. Thu 59, too small
  5. Fri 640, too small
  6. Sat 739, too small
  7. Sun 821, too small
  8. Mon 96, too small
  9. Tue 102, too small
  10. Wed 112, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sokcho, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov27, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the west, 7 knots, offshore15°C
Tue 3Nov22, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 4Nov5, too small1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south, 7 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov9, too small1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore17°C
Fri 6Nov40, too small3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore13°C
Sat 7Nov39, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots9°C
Sun 8Nov21, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots10°C
Mon 9Nov6, too small1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore13°C
Tue 10Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east, 6 knots13°C
Wed 11Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots, offshore11°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 07:17 +0.1 mLow 15:50 −0.1 mHigh 23:59 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:03 +0.0 mHigh 08:58 +0.1 mLow 17:05 −0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:21 +0.1 mLow 05:10 +0.0 mHigh 10:58 +0.1 mLow 18:05 −0.1 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.

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 Sokcho

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

The spot faces E (84°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (264°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 105). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 25°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Sokcho, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$2,470 each

about US$1,290–US$2,470 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 ICN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$677–US$1,410
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$1,290–US$2,470

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

Where to stay: Sokcho

Closest

Sokcho

about 5 min by car · 58 places to stay

See 58 places to stay in Sokcho · Booking.com

About Sokcho 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 21h 45m

About 21h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ICN, direct, then 3h 50m by road

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