i’m an australian surfer who would like any infomation on different surf spots around taiwan. i know most guys won’t want to share their secret spots over the net, but even information on swell direction and size needed for certain places to get good, would be appreciated. i am 27 and have surfed solidly for the last 15 years and look forward to surfing waves a little more challenging than ilan dashi. if any one is travelling south and needs an extra surfer let us know.
Surfing? In Taiwan? Hahabloodyhahaha!
Unless you’re talking typhoon swell, you may as well retire…
When I first arrived in Taiwan, I was optimnistic about the surfing situation. After all, it’s an island with lots of rocky outcrops… But local ignorance and polluted waters quickly changed the desire.
I believe there may be some guarded (i.e. foreigners who maintain an unhealthy parochial attitude to their “local” beach) spots near Hualien and Kenting, but was never convinced that there was a good, steady break on the north coast. Try looking in the Tealit forums for a surfing update, or just wait for the next typhoon…
Good luck (you’ll need it).
I have to disagree… there are some awesome breaks on the east coast.
There is another Aussie on the forums over at forums.formosanfattire.com that is a surfer. Head over there and do a search. Hook up with him, he surfs a lot.
I dunno about that - having been brought up on a staple diet of Gold Coast surf, I was really disappointed with the quality of surf I found in Taiwan… The only times I saw waves that were really worth the effort were just after a storm had hit.
We will have to agree to disagree. I grew up on a diet of various east coast beaches as well…
A mate from Hawaii says some of the east coast breaks are the best he has surfed. He hits Daxi regularly… and in my own experience you have to head 150m or so out to get the good stuff, perfect 1.5m barrels every time I have been there. Sure the storms kick it up but even so, I never found reason to complain. Its like anywhere, if the surf sucks, jump back in the car and find the next break.
My advice to sandbar… get hold of a car - start at Fulong and head south along the east coast.
I tend to disagree too…
Sandbar, check cwb.govt.tw on the chinese charachter set (click on the ocean wave charachters ‘hai lang’) to see buoy swell readings. Also look at wannasurf.com and check the locations of some better known breaks.
I recommend that you keep a good eye on the charts and head either to the north-east (Ilan) or south coasts (Kenting) if you are limited by access. If you have a car check out Kenting (on the east coast) Taidong and The north east coasts.
Typhoons (depn on direction) can produce whole areas of empty, pumping surf such as the south west coast and north coast areas. Keep an eye on the swell and winds, direction is the key here.
There are always waves here but they may be a mission to find sometimes. What appears to be a lake can be a kegfest the next day…
Good luck, vissnz@yahoo.com if you need a hook up
Nice logical read there vissnz. I feel like such a lazy bastard . . . I am a lazy bastard. I’m in HK now but I’ve got an urge to grab my stick and watch the weather. An urge I haven’t had in the many years since I last got up for a pre-dawn surf - perhaps twenty something years ago 
.
Nice stuff.
HG
Just in case anyone new to Taiwan is browsing the forums; Taiwan has some excellent surf in all seasons. The summer months hold the least consistent waves, so you need to keep an eye out for typhoons/tropical depressions which can deliver 2-3 days of great waves (hopefully). Swell direction is important if you want to score nice waves, as is wind direction. The North coast has better waves in the winter as the swell comes from the North. You can expect overhead (3-4 ft) waves, and some nice reefs/points, if you are nice to the right people. The East coast is awesome. If you are a surfer and really need to surf to keep your sanity, don’t despair it’s all gonna be OK!
You’ve probably considered and dismissed it before, but if you switched to kitesurfing, Zhunan is the place to go.
There’s an Ozzie guy named Joel who has been surfing Taiwan for years and he insists that the surfing can be pretty good here. I believe he is writing a book about it and has a deal.