Best time to surf Yangyang – Jukdo Beach

The best time to surf at Yangyang – Jukdo Beach is December–March, with waves of about 1.6 m and water around 10°C.

Yangyang, Gangwon, South Korea

Sports: Surfing

Best time to go: December–March

Jukdo Beach is a white-sand bay of about 1 km in Hyeonnam-myeon, Yangyang County, on the east coast of Gangwon Province, between the pine-covered Jukdo hill and Ingu Beach to the south and Dongsan harbour to the north. Yangyang is the centre of Korean surfing, with dozens of surf shops, schools and guesthouses around Jukdo and Ingu; Surfyy Beach at Hajodae is about 10 km north. From Seoul it is about 2 hours by car on the Seoul–Yangyang expressway or about 2.5 hours by express bus to Yangyang Bus Terminal, or KTX to Gangneung and a bus north.

The beach faces the East Sea and is a beach break over sand, with lefts and rights between the breakwaters. Summer, June to August, is the busy season but the waves are small and soft, good for lessons. From August to October typhoons can send bigger east swells, and from November to March north-east winds over the East Sea bring the most frequent and biggest surf, often 1.5 to 2 m. Offshore winds blow from the south-west and west; strong north-east winds make it messy.

Shops along the beach rent boards and wetsuits, and there are cafes, showers and parking. In July and August a swimming area with lifeguards is marked off and surfers must stay in their own zone. Small summer days suit beginners; winter and typhoon swells are for experienced surfers, with currents along the breakwaters.

The water is about 19 to 25 °C from June to September, so a 3/2 mm wetsuit or less is enough, but it drops to about 8 to 10 °C in February and March: wear a 5/4 mm wetsuit with boots, gloves and a hood.

Month by month at Yangyang – Jukdo Beach

January: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 10°C, air 4°C (nights -5°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 26 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 4; a day can have both
February: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 7°C, air 6°C (nights -3°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 22 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 5; a day can have both
March: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 9°C, air 11°C (nights 2°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 24 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 9; a day can have both
April: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 12°C, air 17°C (nights 8°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 25 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 6; a day can have both
May: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1 m, water 15°C, air 21°C (nights 13°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 26 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 9; a day can have both
June: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 5 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 20°C, air 25°C (nights 18°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 24 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 12; a day can have both
July: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 5 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 24°C, air 29°C (nights 23°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 23 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 18; a day can have both
August: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 5 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 26°C, air 29°C (nights 23°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 23 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 19; a day can have both
September: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 5 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 24°C, air 24°C (nights 17°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 21 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 16; a day can have both
October: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 5 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 20°C, air 19°C (nights 11°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 20 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 12; a day can have both
November: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 16°C, air 14°C (nights 5°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 24 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 6; a day can have both
December: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 13°C, air 5°C (nights -3°C), sun (6+ hours) on about 26 days, rain (1+ mm) on about 4; a day can have both

When is the best time to go surfing at Yangyang – Jukdo Beach?

December–March, when the waves are biggest.

How warm is the water at Yangyang – Jukdo Beach?

7°C to 26°C over the year: boardshorts, no wetsuit needed in the warmest month, a 6/5 with hood, boots and gloves in the coolest.

How windy is Yangyang – Jukdo Beach?

About 19 days a year with at least 2 hours of 15+ knots in the daytime, most in December.

Figures from 5 years of weather data (Open-Meteo).

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