Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 232kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 245kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 162kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- NW 14 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 102kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 272, good
- Tue 376, good
- Wed 471, good
- Thu 562, good
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 756, fair
- Sun 830, too small
- Mon 931, too small
- Tue 1050, fair
- Wed 1163, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Oct–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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 72, good | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 203kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 76, good | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 232kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 71, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 245kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 62, good | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 162kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 102kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 63, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 215kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 17°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 05:20 −0.7 mHigh 12:52 +0.5 mLow 18:44 +0.0 mHigh 23:40 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:48 −0.6 mHigh 13:58 +0.5 mLow 20:05 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:34 +0.4 mLow 08:05 −0.5 mHigh 14:46 +0.6 mLow 21:00 −0.4 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 Oct–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
- 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Irinomatsubara 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Irinomatsubara
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (139°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (319°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 28°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October and November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Irino. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 24°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$1,320–US$2,520 each
about US$1,320–US$2,520 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to HIJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$684–US$1,420 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$349 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$235–US$443 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,320–US$2,520 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$81/nightcountry average
About Irino its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Shimoda on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Yoshino on Booking.com
about 1h by car · 1 place to stay
Nearest town: Irino, 3 km (about 5 min by car)
About US$81 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. 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 29h 50m
About 29h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HIJ, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 3h 05m by road
Flights ORD → HIJ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.