Staying Home Sucks, home
Bone found on Shirahamachuo beach
Near Shirahama. Photo: Syced, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Shirahama

Surf spot · Japan

Is it worth the trip?

21Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: too small (2 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 37 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
93kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 8 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
74kJ
Wind
NE 15 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
9 ft8 smushy
Energy
1,015kJ
Wind
NNE 12 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
619kJ
Wind
W 13 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
139kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 42 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
85kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
45kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
13°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, too big
  2. Tue 337, poor
  3. Wed 48, poor
  4. Thu 50, too big
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 842, too small
  8. Mon 922, too small
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 23 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Shirahama, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov0, too big4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)229kJwind from the west, 6 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov37, poor3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov8, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)74kJwind from the north-east, 15 knots16°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big9 ft8 smushy10 ft at break (est.)1,015kJwind from the north-north-east, 12 knots22°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big6 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)619kJwind from the west, 13 knots22°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)139kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov42, too small2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)85kJwind from the east, 5 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov22, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots13°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)131kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots12°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big4 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the north-east, 14 knots12°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 04:07 −0.7 mHigh 12:22 +0.4 mLow 17:32 +0.1 mHigh 21:41 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 05:34 −0.5 mHigh 13:20 +0.4 mLow 19:14 −0.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:18 +0.2 mLow 06:56 −0.5 mHigh 14:01 +0.5 mLow 20:09 −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

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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More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Shirahama

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 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in March, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Kōchi, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$2,480 each

about US$1,290–US$2,480 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to HND, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$658–US$1,370
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$107–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$208–US$349
Food7 days eating outabout US$235–US$443
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,290–US$2,480

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

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Closest

Kōchi

about 5 min by car · 8 places to stay

about US$81/nightcountry average

See 8 places to stay in Kōchi · Booking.com

About Kōchi its beds, food and every spot near it

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 19h 45m

About 19h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HND, direct, then 2h 25m by road

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

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