The Barracks
Surf spot · Taiwan
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 146kJ
- Wind
- NW 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 117kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 214kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 164, good
- Mon 239, poor
- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 547, fair
- Fri 639, poor
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 89, poor
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov2 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 | 64, good | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the west, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 39, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | offshorewind from the west, 6 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, poor | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft6 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 287kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 23°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 NovLow 04:34 −0.7 mHigh 11:49 +0.2 mLow 15:50 +0.0 mHigh 22:00 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:52 −0.6 mHigh 13:19 +0.2 mLow 17:46 +0.0 mHigh 23:41 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 07:12 −0.5 mHigh 14:20 +0.3 mLow 19:40 −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.
Best time to go
best in Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
The Barracks 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.
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.
More surf near here
1 place
- Wu-shi harbor 29.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Barracks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (53°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (233°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 23°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Yilan.
Water about 26°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$1,370–US$2,640 each
about US$1,370–US$2,640 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 TPE, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$757–US$1,580 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,370–US$2,640 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Yilan
35 min by car · 88 places to stay
About Yilan its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Yilan, 20 km (about 35 min by car)
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 30m
About 21h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TPE, direct, then 1h 45m by road
Flights ORD → TPE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.