Wai'ao conditions today
Yilan · Wai'ao
Quality
Wave height gauge: Well overhead
Dangerous today: Waves too big. Stay out of the water.
Now
22:00 · Swell NE
See it match the verdict
Camera: Waiao Beach · 0.6 km (SW) from this spot
📐 Cameras flatten waves — what you see usually looks smaller than it really is. Trust the verdict above.
Footage from: Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Headquarters · Government Open Data License
Direction
Wind blows from land to sea, so the face stays clean.
This spot works best on ENE, E, SE, SSE swell.
Offshore wind and the swell lines up today, good direction.
Spot specs
- Type
- Beach break
- Seabed
- Sand with some rock
- Best tide
- Mid to High
- Level
- Improver +
Location
Navigate in Google MapsThe compass on the map shows today's swell and wind directions (solid arrows) and this spot's ideal swell and wind windows (dashed arcs). See the Direction card above for the interpretation.
Next 7 days
Why we say this
Verdict: dangerous, stay out of the water. Waves too big.
- DangerWaves too big
Today's waves are over the safe ceiling for your level.
Hourly forecast (Sat)
Shared time axis · shaded band is the best window to paddle out
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
衝浪港澳水域遊憩活動範圍A、C區 station · CWA
Hourly raw values
Hourly forecast (Sat) · Daylight 5:00–18:00 is the surfable window
| Time | 00 | 02 | 04 | 06 | 08 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | 2.7m9ft | 2.8m9ft | 2.8m9ft | 2.9m9ft | 2.8m9ft | 2.8m9ft | 2.7m9ft | 2.6m9ft | 2.5m8ft | 2.4m8ft | 2.3m8ft | 2.2m7ft |
| Period | 10.6s | 10.8s | 11.0s | 11.1s | 11.2s | 11.2s | 11.2s | 11.0s | 11.0s | 10.8s | 10.4s | 10.4s |
| Swell dir | 56° | 56° | 55° | 54° | 53° | 58° | 57° | 50° | 49° | 47° | 46° | 45° |
| Wind | 5.3 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.5 |
| Wind dir | 297° | 294° | 293° | 295° | 298° | 291° | 295° | 308° | 291° | 278° | 273° | 271° |
| Gust | 14.1 | 19.6 | 19.8 | 21.1 | 21.7 | 22.5 | 25.0 | 22.3 | 22.8 | 20.6 | 19.5 | 21.1 |
| Weather | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain | Rain |
| Tide | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | -0.1 | -0.4 | -0.3 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Air | 25° | 26° | 26° | 27° | 27° | 30° | 27° | 29° | 25° | 24° | 24° | 26° |
| Sea | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° | 30° |
| UV | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 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)
- 7.9–9.4 ft（2.4–2.9 m）
- Typical height
- 4.4 ft（1.3 m）
- Max set height
- 17.7 ft（5.4 m）
- Period
- 11 s
- Tide
- Rising
About Wai'ao
Wai'ao is an east-facing beach break in Yilan, a wide sandy stretch next to Wushi Port that peels both left and right. The bottom is mostly sand with some rocks. It takes east-northeast through south-southeast swells with northwest or west offshore winds, from mid to high tide. Rated lower-intermediate, best once you can stand confidently.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Wai'ao good for beginners?
- Yes. Wai'ao is a beginner-to-improver spot and one of the friendlier ones in Yilan, Taiwan, for surfers just starting out. Conditions change daily, though, so check this page's daily conditions score before you paddle out.
- When does Wai'ao work best?
- Wai'ao is usually cleanest on an ENE/E/SE/SSE swell and a NW/W 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 Wai'ao?
- Wai'ao sits on the coast in Yilan, Taiwan. Open Google Maps navigation straight from the spot map on this page to get there.
- Does Wai'ao have a live cam?
- Yes. This page embeds a live feed from Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Headquarters at "Waiao Beach" (about 0.6 km SW of Wai'ao), 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.