Well, it’s starting to really heat up, and that means it’s time for the beach. Although not well known for it’s surfing, there is a bit of it around Taiwan. It’s a bit of hit and miss for the good days out here, but decent waves can be found. (Please ignore the last sentence if you are Aussie, Kiwi, or Californian…) Now, it’s not Bali or Maui by any stretch of the imagination out here, but it’s enough to get you out into the warm waters with a long board and catch a few waves.
There are a couple of spots down south; Kenting is known for the better waves in Taiwan, Dashi or Mi Yue Wan (Honeymoon Bay) in Ilan can get good, as well as numerous other smaller local spots. But if you want to get out of Taipei just for the day without having to make a whole weekend out of it, you can head to the north coast of Taiwan.
There are a couple of spots to surf, depending on the weather and direction of the waves. Sha Lun is just outside of Danshui’s fisherman’s wharf. Better in winter, it can occasionally offer you some summer waves as long as you don’t mind surfing in water polluted by the adjacent landfill. But don’t let this paint the picture of Taiwan waters, cause they get a whole lot better.
Further up the coast is Bai Sha Wan (White Sand Bay). Whether you are looking to go surfing or just go to the beach for the day, this is a great place to go. It has a long white sand beach that is maintained beautifully. It’s far enough out of Taipei, that the waters are actually remarkably clean. This is the closest and nicest beach to Taipei. It also hosts a small town with restaraunts, coffee shops, and a hotel. This would be my recommendation for Taipei beaches.
To get there, take the MRT out to Danshui. Go across the road from the MRT station, and close to the McDonalds is a bus station. Just ask for Bai Sha Wan (pronounced Bye Sha Won) and they will take you there. It will cost you $44 and take about 45 minutes to get there.
If you are driving, head towards Danshui. After you pass the big red Kuandu bridge, the road will split. Keep right on Danjin Road and just follow that all the way to the beach. You’ll go past a couple of beaches, but don’t stop yet. You’ll pass a row of coffee shops, and a little town called San Jhi (or San Zhi, Zhih, Ghih, Jhih: They’re farmers and not too sure about the whole PinYin thing). Just 5 minutes past San Jhi, you’ll come down a hill to a small village on the beach. You’ve arrived! It should take you about 30-40 minutes from Danshui.
Past BaiShaWan is Zhong Jiao, just before the town of JinShan. To get there, keep going past Shih Men and the damn. It will take you about 20-25 minutes from BaiShaWan. During the summer, this tends to be one of the better beaches for surfing. It gets packed though. Hundreds of Taiwanese come out to try surfing on the weekends. Most of them stay right close to shore, and just lie on their boards and let them crash into the shore. There are a couple of surf shops out here, and all the local surf shops pack up their boards and rent them out at the beach here. Usually boards will run you about $500 for the day, or $700 a day if you want lessons too. Rental boards are pretty much all longboards, about 9foot - 9’6". They are the foam covered boards, so bring a rash gaurd or a T-shirt to wear so you don’t rub your nipples off (no, I’m serious, I used to have a third nipple, but now it’s gone!).
If you have a car and you want to get away from the crowds, Xiao Ye Liao is closer to Keelung and can give you a bit on days where other beaches are lacking.
In my opinion, the best shop out there for getting lessons is CU 2004 Surf Shop in Bai Sha Wan. Really friendly staff and good teachers. They will be out at their shop on the beach, as well as have staff out at Zhong Jiao. If you are looking for lessons out at Zhong Jiao, ask around for Ashee, and he’ll get you set up.
One more thing that goes along so nice with the whole day at the beach is a cold beer, and a steak dinner. A buddy of mine’s wife has a coffee shop in BaiShaWan called “My Cafe”. If you give them notice, he’ll get together a honest to God, big ass steak dinner with mashed potatoes and salad. We’re not talking about a little Taiwanese steak, but a big freaking hunk of cow. I don’t have his number right now, but email me and I can pass it on to you if you are dying for a real steak dinner.
Hope to see you guys out there this summer!
Kenn
