If you've never surfed, Wai'ao is a good place to try: come on a calm summer day, book a lesson, and take the train. Wai'ao (外澳) is Yilan's surf town, in Toucheng (頭城) on the north coast of the county, and one of Taiwan's best-known surf spots. People surf it all year. Wai'ao Beach (外澳沙灘) is a flat stretch of sand just north of Wushi Harbor (烏石港), with Guishan Island sitting out to sea.
- Getting there TRA Local trains stop at Wai'ao Station, across the coast road from the beach. Green 19 The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Northeast Coast line (Green 19) stops at the Wai'ao Service Area.
- Facilities The Wai'ao Service Area (外澳服務區), the yellow building on the beach, has toilets (including accessible ones), paid showers, an information desk, parking and a café. Open 09:00 to 17:20.
- Address No. 6, Section 2, Binhai Road, Toucheng (the service area)
- Entry Free
When to surf
Beginners in summer, experienced surfers in winter. That's the short version.
- Summer: usually the calmer season, and when beginners and swimmers come. The big exception is a typhoon. Even one hundreds of kilometers away sends long swell (長浪) onto this coast, and these waves catch people out on days when the weather looks fine.
- Autumn and winter: from around October the northeast monsoon brings stronger wind and bigger, rougher seas to the northeast coast. The water and the wind are colder too. This is the season for experienced surfers, not for a first lesson.
Whatever the season, check the CWA's long-wave alerts and the Toucheng coastal forecast before you go. The links are at the bottom of the page.
Lessons and board rental
The surf shops near the beach give lessons, so you can come out from Taipei and ride your first wave on a day trip. There's no official register of surf schools, so we don't name one. Pick a shop that puts you in a group with a coach in the water, includes the board and a rash guard, and only takes you out in small, clean surf. Book ahead on summer weekends.
Good to know: The shops keep their own hours and close in bad weather. Message them the day before, and have a plan B if the sea is flat or too big.
The September contest
Every September the county's Wai'ao Guolang Festival (外澳罟浪祭) brings an international surf contest to the beach, and it's a fun weekend to watch even if you don't surf. In 2026 the contest ran September 3 to 6, with concerts and fireworks on the weekend evenings. The 2027 dates aren't out yet. → What's on
Staying safe
Safety: on September 5, 2026, in the middle of the contest, typhoon swell hit the beach and a visitor was swept out and couldn't swim back. The Coast Guard brought him in with a remote-controlled lifebuoy, and the contest was paused. Stay out of the water when the CWA has a long-wave alert out for the northeast coast, or when the surf is bigger than you're used to.
- Learn with a coach before you go out alone, and stay inside your depth.
- If a current pulls you out, don't fight it straight back: float, raise an arm and call for help.
- Wai'ao doesn't publish a lifeguard schedule, so assume no one is watching you.
- Black sand gets hot in summer: wear sandals to the water's edge.
→ Toucheng · Guishan Island · More things to do
Sources: Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area, Wai'ao Service Area; National Scenic Area, Wai'ao; Yilan County tourism, Wai'ao Beach; UDN on the 2026 Wai'ao Guolang Festival; PTS on the September 5, 2026 rescue; Central Weather Administration, long-wave alerts; CWA on long swell; CWA sea conditions. Checked November 2026.