Okinawa Prefecture consists of 161 islands, scattered over 1,000km, towards Taiwan. These Ryukyu Islands are now the most popular Japanese beach resort destination, thanks to its mild climate and fringing coral reefs. Sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, Okinawa picks up virtually any swell going. Most waves break at higher tides over very shallow shelves of reef and/or basaltic rock and crowds are heavy at the main spots, but most outer reefs and islands are still uncharted.
When to Go
Okinawa is usually flat in spring, before summer S swells are created by tropical disturbances and typhoons. August-October sees several monthly typhoons and occasional super-typhoons, which deliver up to 12ft surf on all corners of the island. The west coast gets three to four typhoons and the east about double that. The west coast gets choppy 3-8ft short period windswell from Nov-March, accompanied by NW winds that usually swing NE-E, which means clean surf, but size drops quickly. The east coast is reasonably consistent during the winter, but mostly onshore due to predominant NE winds. Tidal range can reach 7ft on spring tides: surf 2h before and after high tide for safety.
Surf Spots
Statistics |
J
|
F
|
M
|
A
|
M
|
J
|
J
|
A
|
S
|
O
|
N
|
D
|
dominant swell |
N -NE |
N -NE |
N -SW |
N -SW |
N -SW |
N -NE |
swell size (ft) |
3-4 |
2 |
1 |
2-3 |
3 |
3-4 |
consistency (%) |
70 |
40 |
10 |
40 |
50 |
70 |
dominant wind |
NW -NE |
N -E |
E -SW |
E -SW |
N -E |
N -NE |
average force |
F4-F5 |
F4 |
F4 |
F4 |
F4 |
F4-F5 |
consistency (%) |
72 |
54 |
63 |
74 |
68 |
65 |
water temp (C) |
19 |
21 |
25 |
28 |
26 |
22 |
wetsuit |
3/2 |
springsuit |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
springsuit |
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Travel Information
Weather
Okinawa enjoys JapanÕs only subtropical oceanic climate, with an annual mean temp of 22.5¡C (73¼F). N winds in winter and S winds in summer when temps exceed 30¡C (86¼F) but squalls can also occur. Okinawa is in ÔTyphoon AlleyÕ and has 7-8 per year. Winter temps rarely drop below 10¡C (50¼F). Water temps range from 20¡C (68¼F) to 30¡C (86¼F). In winter, the west side cools down so bring a springsuit. Then, warm water migrates north with the Kuroshio (the ÔBlack CurrentÕ) bringing 6 months of boardshort surfing.
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Lodging and Food
City hotels in Naha, Sunabe, Chatan-cho area on the west side and beach resorts in the central and northern parts are $50-60 a night. Island resorts like the Big AJ Resort on Ikei from $120. Facilities are very good. B&B costs from $45/n/dbl. Expect $15-20 for a meal, drink Awamori!
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Nature and Culture
Beautiful white sand beaches, 40 golf courses, good diving or Togyu Bull fighting. See the Festival of Sun, Ocean & Joggers and Dragon boat races. ItÕs the land of Karate and the Iriomote wildcat, a Ôliving fossilÕ.
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