Is Qijin good for beginners?

Yes. Qijin is a beginner spot and one of the friendlier ones in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for surfers just starting out. Conditions change daily, though, so check this page's daily conditions score before you paddle out.

When does Qijin work best?

Qijin is usually cleanest on a S/SW swell and a N/NE wind. How good it actually gets still comes down to the day's wave height and period, so go by the hourly forecast on this page.

How do I get to Qijin?

Qijin sits on the coast in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Open Google Maps navigation straight from the spot map on this page to get there.

Does Qijin have a live cam?

Yes. This page embeds a live feed from National Academy of Marine Research at "CiJin" (about 0.4 km N of Qijin), so you can check it against the current conditions. The camera tends to flatten waves, though, so go by this page's verdict for the actual call. This page has 1 more camera you can switch to.

Kaohsiung

Qijin conditions today

Meets current criteria

Best window13:00–16:00

Wave: Thigh-high to Waist-to-chest · 1.8–1.9 ft
Period: 6–7 s
Wind: Not offshore
Tide: Rising · Low 12:38

How to read the two heights: Hs is the model's significant wave height; metres and feet are two units for that same Hs height (1 ft = 0.3048 m). Breaking-wave face height is an engineering estimate that applies a period-aware nearshore shoaling factor to Hs, so it is usually larger. It is not a unit conversion or an on-site measurement.

Beginner +Spot profile uses general settings

Thigh-high to Waist-to-chest, fair waves, Cross-shore wind, good for pop-ups.

This hour’s forecast

18:00 · Swell NNW

Wave: 2.1 ft0.6 m
Period: 4.1 s
Wind: 0.7 m/s SSE
Gust: 3.0 m/s
Tide: 0.5 mRising
Air: 27°C
Sea: 28°C
UV: 0

Why we say this

This spot needs S, SW swell, N, NE offshore wind, Low to mid tide. Today those conditions line up from 13:00 to 16:00. Meets current criteria (quality 87/100).

Swell directionS, SW ✓
Needs S, SW · today S, SW ✓
The swell sits in a direction this spot works on (S, SW), so it clears the gate.
Period6.3s fair
Needs period over 5s · today 6.3s fair
Period is moderate, so it's average but surfable.
WindCross-shore wind 2.5m/s
Needs N, NE (offshore) · today Cross-shore wind 2.5m/s
Onshore wind messes up the face and flattens it, but it's light.
Wave heightThigh-high to Waist-to-chest · Hs 1.8–1.9ft (0.5–0.6m)
Needs Hs 1–3ft (right for your level) · today Thigh-high to Waist-to-chest · Hs 1.8–1.9ft (0.5–0.6m)
Wave height sits in the ideal range for your level (Hs 1–3ft).
TideRising, mid tide
Needs Low to mid · today Rising, mid tide
Rising tide pushes water in and fills out the shape.

Use the image for the scene and the forecast for the trend

Camera: CiJin · 0.4 km (N) from this spot

📐 Cameras compress wave scale. Use the image for visibility and set timing; judge height again from shore.

Footage from: National Academy of Marine Research · Government Open Data License

Direction

Wind

Onshore wind

Wind blows onto the shore, so the face gets messy.

SwellIdealToday

Swell lines up

This spot works best on S, SW swell.

Onshore wind today, but the swell lines up.

Lefts and rightsFaces SW

Spot specs

Type: Beach break
Seabed: Sand
Best tide: Low to Mid
Level: Beginner +

Location

Navigate in Google Maps

Next 7 days

Hourly forecast (Sun)

Shared time axis · shaded band is the best window to paddle out

Weather model

Best window to paddle out

Waveft

1.8

Periods

6.8

Windm/s

2.8

Tidem

0.0

Time

0003060912151821

Swell dir

Wind dir

All four charts share one time axis · wave (ft) · period (s) · wind (m/s) · tide (m) · arrows show where it comes from · the band marks the best window to paddle out · tide uses CWA (unaffected by model) · slide or touch to read each hour.

Tide

海水浴場旗津海岸公園 station · CWA

Best window to paddle out13:00–16:00

Hourly raw values

Hourly forecast (Sun) · Daylight 5:00–18:00 is the surfable window

Hourly swell, wind, weather, tide, air/sea temperature, and UV for the selected day
Time	00	02	04	06	08	10	12	14	16	18	20	22
Wave	0.8m3ft	0.8m3ft	0.7m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.6m2ft
Period	4.2s	3.8s	4.0s	4.6s	5.8s	6.6s	6.8s	6.4s	4.9s	4.1s	4.2s	4.2s
Swell dir	276°	338°	337°	278°	161°	161°	162°	164°	277°	335°	336°	337°
Wind	3.4	2.9	1.4	0.9	1.7	0.8	2.3	2.6	1.8	0.7	0.5	1.2
Wind dir	18°	25°	4°	360°	357°	4°	252°	262°	245°	155°	209°	336°
Gust	7.5	5.7	3.8	2.5	4.7	5.1	7.0	8.1	6.3	3.0	1.4	2.6
Weather	Cloudy	Cloudy	Cloudy	Cloudy	Clear	Clear	Clear	Cloudy	Clear	Clear	Cloudy	Clear
Tide	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.2
Air	24°	24°	24°	23°	26°	29°	30°	29°	28°	27°	27°	26°
Sea	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	28°	28°	28°	28°	28°	28°
UV	0	0	0	0	2	5	7	6	2	0	0	0

Wave (m / ft) · period (s) · wind & gust (m/s) · arrows show where it comes from (green = suits, dim = unfavorable) · tide relative level (m) · air / sea temp (°C) · UV. Color is only a hint; the numbers and arrows are always there. Swipe to see all hours on mobile.

How we score it88/100

Quality = 0.32×period + 0.28×wind + 0.25×wave height + 0.15×tide

Period81 × 32% = 25.9
Wind78 × 28% = 21.8
Wave height100 × 25% = 25
Tide100 × 15% = 15

The model's daily summary, handy for cross-checking with Windy or other forecast apps.

Significant height (Hs): 1.8–1.9 ft（0.5–0.6 m）
Typical height: 0.9 ft（0.3 m）
Max set height: 3 ft（0.9 m）
Period: 6-7 s
Tide: Rising

About Qijin

Qijin is a southwest-facing beach break in Kaohsiung, with a soft sand bottom and peaks that go both left and right. It works best on south to southwest swell, north to northeast offshore winds, and low to mid tide. The forgiving sand suits beginners learning to get to their feet.

Frequently asked questions

Is Qijin good for beginners?: Yes. Qijin is a beginner spot and one of the friendlier ones in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for surfers just starting out. Conditions change daily, though, so check this page's daily conditions score before you paddle out.
When does Qijin work best?: Qijin is usually cleanest on a S/SW swell and a N/NE wind. How good it actually gets still comes down to the day's wave height and period, so go by the hourly forecast on this page.
How do I get to Qijin?: Qijin sits on the coast in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Open Google Maps navigation straight from the spot map on this page to get there.
Does Qijin have a live cam?: Yes. This page embeds a live feed from National Academy of Marine Research at "CiJin" (about 0.4 km N of Qijin), so you can check it against the current conditions. The camera tends to flatten waves, though, so go by this page's verdict for the actual call. This page has 1 more camera you can switch to.

See all Taiwan West Coast surf spots →