The Barracks
Surf spot · Taiwan
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 123kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 162kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 236, poor
- Tue 341, poor
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 543, too small
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 718, poor
- Sun 837, poor
- Mon 960, good
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 1132, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
The Barracks does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 36, poor | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 41, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, poor | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 162kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 60, good | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 322kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 102kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 23°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 05:52 −0.6 mHigh 13:19 +0.2 mLow 17:46 +0.0 mHigh 23:41 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 07:12 −0.5 mHigh 14:20 +0.3 mLow 19:40 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:33 +0.4 mLow 08:21 −0.5 mHigh 15:02 +0.4 mLow 20:54 −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.
Best time to go
best in 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
- Jun0of 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
- Oct1of 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
The Barracks 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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More surf near here
1 place
- Wu-shi harbor 29.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Barracks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (53°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (233°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 23°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Yilan.
Water about 26°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$1,370–US$2,640 each
about US$1,370–US$2,640 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 TPE, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$758–US$1,580 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$101–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,370–US$2,640 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Yilan
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 35 min by car · 88 places to stay
About Yilan its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Yilan, 20 km (about 35 min by car)
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 21h 30m
About 21h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TPE, direct, then 1h 45m by road
Flights ORD → TPE 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.