Surfing in Taiwan has a long history and surf arrives from a generous 225¼ swell window hitting all sides of the island. US soldiers were the first to ride the north coast beach of Jin Shan in 1965 and local pioneers like Mao Guh and his brothers ignored the government ban on access to the ocean, to take up surfing and open the first surf shop. With the lifting of Martial Law in 1987, surfing clubs popped up across the island and the R.O.C Surfing Association estimates that there could be 30,000 people riding waves across Taiwan. This is no surprise as the seasonal monsoons bring consistent waist to headhigh waves and a pair of boardshorts will do for all but the depths of winter, making Taiwan an increasingly alluring tropical destination.
When to Go
Taiwan sits smack dab in the middle of Typhoon Alley and the biggest swells of 8-12ft usually occur from July to October. Category 1-3 storms can appear in less than 24hrs, while super-typhoons Cat 4 and 5 usually take days to wind up, with potential for destruction, depending on the stormÕs track. Any violent storm activity in the western Pacific can create some waves, but consistency varies greatly, year to year. In the summer, knee to waist high is the average surf height pushed in by the SW monsoon winds without any typhoon activity. The most consistent surf is generated in winter from NE monsoon winds, which bring chest to headhigh waves almost everyday with potential 8-10ft peaks. North and east Taiwan has many spots that pick up even a sniff of swell (Yilan, Hualian) while the southern region has a myriad of breaks that need a bit of a look around to find (Taitung). Tides are semi-diurnal with diurnal inequality, but hardly reach more than 1m.
Surf Spots
Statistics |
J
|
F
|
M
|
A
|
M
|
J
|
J
|
A
|
S
|
O
|
N
|
D
|
dominant swell |
N -E |
N -E |
N -E |
N -SW |
N -SE |
N -E |
swell size (ft) |
4-5 |
2-3 |
1-2 |
3 |
3-4 |
4-5 |
consistency (%) |
80 |
50 |
30 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
dominant wind |
N -NE |
NE -E |
S -SW |
S -SW |
N -E |
N -E |
average force |
F5 |
F4-F5 |
F4 |
F4 |
F4-F5 |
F4-F5 |
consistency (%) |
64 |
51 |
40 |
38 |
74 |
91 |
water temp (C) |
23 |
24 |
27 |
29 |
28 |
25 |
wetsuit |
springsuit |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
|
Travel Information
Weather
Large differences in temperature and rainfall occur from north to south. Kenting has a warm tropical climate with rich and fertile vegetation. There is little change between seasons. Summer weather is cooled by the afternoon sea breeze and the cold wet winter NE winds that hit northern Taiwan are often blocked by the central mountains. A springsuit is enough for winter, even for the few weeks in Jan and Feb when air temps may dip to 10¡C in morning offshores. Boardshorts from April to Nov and then some. Up north in winter may be as much as 6¼C cooler, requiring a steamer for a few months.
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Lodging and Food
Dorm rooms for $10/night and $20-30 in hotels in off-season, but typhoon season is high summer season. Plenty of ÒSurf HousesÓ in Nanwan, backpacker style ($15). Motels and hotels price range is $45 to $120/p/n. surfingtaiwan.com do premium guided surf trips from Taitung county plus multi-activity and cultural tours (fr $750/p/dbl/6n). Similar deals from surftaiwan.com (fr $949/p/dbl/6n) with east and south coast options. Food is $3-10 per meal.
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Nature and Culture
A steep central mountain range means the east coast is much less developed than the overcrowded west coast, which makes Taiwan second only to Bangladesh in population density. Lots of sightseeing near Taipei like museums, temples (Shihtoushan Buddhist) and waterfalls (Wulai). Tamsui Grass skiing resort near Baishawan. Many mountain peaks reach 3000m+, try hiking near Chushan or rafting on Hsiukuluan River (east coast). Kenting National Park protects some beautiful forests.
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