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Near Bird Island (Saipan). Photo: U.S. Coast Guard photo by [null Courtesy], Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Bird Island (Saipan)

Surf spot · Northern Mariana Islands

That date has passed, so this trip starts today.

Is it worth the trip?

26Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 24 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
114kJ
Wind
ESE 11 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 31 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 shollow
Energy
217kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
29°C

Thu 5 · 25 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
274kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
29°C

Fri 6 · 11 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 shollow
Energy
311kJ
Wind
NE 14 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 20 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 shollow
Energy
329kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
193kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 21 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
176kJ
Wind
ENE 14 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 323, poor
  2. Wed 428, poor
  3. Thu 523, poor
  4. Fri 612, poor
  5. Sat 720, poor
  6. Sun 827, poor
  7. Mon 915, poor
  8. Tue 1023, poor
  9. Wed 1147, fair
  10. Thu 1252, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 30 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Bird Island (Saipan), each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov23, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)114kJwind from the east-south-east, 11 knots29°C
Wed 4Nov28, poor5 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.)217kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots29°C
Thu 5Nov23, poor6 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)274kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots29°C
Fri 6Nov12, poor6 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.)311kJwind from the north-east, 14 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov20, poor5 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)329kJwind from the south, 10 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov27, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)193kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov15, poor5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the east-north-east, 14 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov23, poor5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)227kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots28°C
Wed 11Nov47, fair5 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.)214kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots28°C
Thu 12Nov52, fair4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.)183kJwind from the north-east, 12 knots28°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

  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:23 +0.1 mLow 07:59 −0.3 mHigh 15:36 +0.3 mLow 21:46 +0.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 02:12 +0.1 mLow 08:59 −0.2 mHigh 16:02 +0.3 mLow 22:29 −0.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 03:53 +0.1 mLow 09:57 −0.1 mHigh 16:26 +0.2 mLow 23:11 −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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Bird Island (Saipan)

Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - panoramio (8)
Photo: rambler.panoramio, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bird Island (Saipan)

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

The spot faces SE (138°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (318°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). 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 June, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Saipan, 8.1 km away (22 min by car).

Water about 30°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$1,290–US$2,500 each

about US$1,290–US$2,500 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SPN, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$745–US$1,540
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$67
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$329
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$416
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,290–US$2,500

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

Where to stay: 2 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Saipan

22 min by car · 3 places to stay

See 3 places to stay in Saipan · Booking.com

About Saipan 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 28h 55m

About 28h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SPN, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 40 min by road

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

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