Is it worth the trip?
3Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 21, too small
- Tue 32, too small
- Wed 43, too small
- Thu 52, too small
- Fri 61, too small
- Sat 72, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 109, too small
- Wed 1112, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 32°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 26°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 01:47 +1.2 mLow 17:54 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:48 +1.1 mLow 11:53 −0.4 mHigh 13:32 −0.4 mLow 19:18 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:43 +0.9 mLow 11:30 −0.5 mHigh 16:13 −0.2 mLow 21:07 −0.5 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
Kerteh on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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 Kerteh
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (124°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (304°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 192). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Kerteh, 1 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 29°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$1,270–US$2,490 each
about US$1,270–US$2,490 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 TGG, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG and KUL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$911–US$1,880 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$100–US$167 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$114–US$208 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,270–US$2,490 |
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 · 22 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About Kerteh its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Kemasik on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 18 places to stay
- Beds in Kijal on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 13 places to stay
About US$40 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 32h 55m
About 32h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TGG, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), then 2h 05m by road
Flights ORD → TGG 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.