Is Shanshui good for beginners?

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

When does Shanshui work best?

Shanshui is usually cleanest on a S/SE/SW swell and a N/NW 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 Shanshui?

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

Does Shanshui have a live cam?

Yes. This page embeds a live feed from National Academy of Marine Research at "Suogang" (about 2.2 km NE of Shanshui) (not a direct view of this spot, for reference only), 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.

中EN

Penghu

Shanshui conditions today

Dangerous

Best windowNo safe window today

Wave: Waist-to-chest · 2.1–2.3 ft
Period: 4–5 s
Wind: Offshore wind
Tide: Falling · Low 03:10

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

Dangerous today: Wind too strong. Stay out of the water.

This hour’s forecast

06:00 · Swell NNE

Wave: 2.2 ft0.7 m
Period: 4.8 s
Wind: 6.3 m/s NE
Gust: 8.4 m/s
Tide: 0.3 mRising
Air: 27°C
Sea: 28°C
UV: 0

Why we say this

Verdict: dangerous, stay out of the water. Wind too strong.

DangerWind too strong
Wind or gusts are too strong, so conditions are rough and hard to control.

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

Camera: Suogang · 2.2 km (NE) from this spot; not a head-on view of this break.

📐 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

Offshore wind

Wind blows from land to sea, so the face stays clean.

SwellIdealToday

Swell is off

This spot works best on S, SE, SW swell.

Offshore wind today, but the swell isn't lined up.

Lefts and rightsFaces S

Spot specs

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

Location

Navigate in Google Maps

Next 7 days

Hourly forecast (Thu)

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

Weather model

Waveft

2.1

Periods

4.0

Windm/s

5.5

Tidem

0.8

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

衝浪山水 station · CWA

Hourly raw values

Hourly forecast (Thu) · 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	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.6m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.7m2ft	0.6m2ft
Period	4.6s	4.4s	4.6s	4.8s	4.6s	4.6s	4.8s	4.9s	4.4s	4.0s	4.1s	4.0s
Swell dir	17°	18°	22°	23°	22°	24°	25°	24°	11°	6°	8°	11°
Wind	6.8	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.2	7.2	7.6	7.7	7.5	6.7	6.2	6.1
Wind dir	36°	33°	33°	34°	27°	18°	19°	20°	21°	31°	27°	35°
Gust	8.9	8.5	8.5	8.4	8.1	9.3	10.1	10.2	10.0	9.7	8.0	8.2
Weather	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Clear	Cloudy	Cloudy	Clear
Tide	0.4	-0.1	-0.2	0.3	0.7	0.8	0.2	-0.4	-0.7	-0.1	0.4	1.0
Air	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°	27°
Sea	28°	28°	28°	28°	28°	28°	29°	29°	29°	29°	28°	28°
UV	0	0	0	0	2	6	8	7	4	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.

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

Significant height (Hs): 2.1–2.3 ft（0.6–0.7 m）
Typical height: 1.1 ft（0.3 m）
Max set height: 4.4 ft（1.3 m）
Period: 4-5 s
Tide: Falling

About Shanshui

Shanshui is a south-facing beach break in Penghu with a forgiving sandy bottom and waves that peel both left and right. It works best on S, SE, and SW swells with N or NW offshore winds, from low to high tide. The soft sand and mellow shape make it friendly for beginners.

Frequently asked questions

Is Shanshui good for beginners?: Yes. Shanshui is a beginner spot and one of the friendlier ones in Penghu, Taiwan, for surfers just starting out. Conditions change daily, though, so check this page's daily conditions score before you paddle out.
When does Shanshui work best?: Shanshui is usually cleanest on a S/SE/SW swell and a N/NW 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 Shanshui?: Shanshui sits on the coast in Penghu, Taiwan. Open Google Maps navigation straight from the spot map on this page to get there.
Does Shanshui have a live cam?: Yes. This page embeds a live feed from National Academy of Marine Research at "Suogang" (about 2.2 km NE of Shanshui) (not a direct view of this spot, for reference only), 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 →