Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 115kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 357, fair
- Wed 468, good
- Thu 557, fair
- Fri 655, fair
- Sat 747, fair
- Sun 844, poor
- Mon 966, good
- Tue 1050, fair
- Wed 1154, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Wai-ao does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the west, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 68, good | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the west, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 66, good | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the west, 1 knot, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 22°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 05:58 −0.6 mHigh 13:33 +0.2 mLow 17:56 +0.1 mHigh 23:46 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 07:18 −0.5 mHigh 14:30 +0.3 mLow 19:48 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:39 +0.3 mLow 08:26 −0.4 mHigh 15:10 +0.4 mLow 21:01 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 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 Tue 3 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
Wai-ao on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Wai-ao
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (89°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (269°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 123). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 23°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. Nearest beds: Yilan, 10 km (about 20 min by car). Nearest airport: Taipei Songshan International Airport (TSA), 49 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,170–US$2,310 each
about US$1,170–US$2,310 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 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 |
| 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$1,170–US$2,310 |
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: Yilan, 10 km (about 20 min by car). Nearest airport: Taipei Songshan International Airport (TSA), 49 km.
See places to stay near Yilan, 10 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 21h 20m
About 21h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TPE, direct, then 1h 35m by road
Flights ORD → TPE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.