Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (4 ft swell at 8 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 250kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 200kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 357kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 371kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 226, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 424, too small
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 625, too small
- Sat 730, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
- Wed 1113, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Playgrounds does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 272kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 250kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 357kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 371kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 13, too small | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 159kJ | offshorewind from the west, 2 knots, offshore | 28°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 05:48 −0.3 mHigh 11:54 +0.1 mLow 17:00 −0.1 mHigh 23:58 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 07:10 −0.3 mHigh 13:32 +0.2 mLow 19:06 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:26 +0.3 mLow 08:17 −0.3 mHigh 14:44 +0.3 mLow 20:47 −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 and its town
Playgrounds 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 Playgrounds
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (104°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (284°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. Nearest place to stay we found: Kandui Resort, Kepulauan Mentawai, 1 km. Nearest beds: Tuapejat, 34 km (about 1h by car). Nearest airport: Minangkabau International Airport (PDG), 165 km. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
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$1,150–US$2,320 each
about US$1,150–US$2,320 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PDG, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG and KUL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$953–US$1,970 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$47–US$81 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$107–US$195 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$47–US$74 |
| Total | about US$1,150–US$2,320 |
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 34 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Nearest place to stay we found: Kandui Resort, Kepulauan Mentawai, 1 km. Nearest beds: Tuapejat, 34 km (about 1h by car). Nearest airport: Minangkabau International Airport (PDG), 165 km.
See places to stay near Tuapejat, 34 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 37h 10m
About 37h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDG, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), then 6h by road
Flights ORD → PDG on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
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.