Stormrider Guide to surfing Jeju Do

South Korea, EAST ASIA

Jungmun Beach, John Callahan/SurfExplore

Summary

+ Powerful typhoon waves	- Inconsistent swells
+ Beaches and lava reefs	- Short surf season
+ World Heritage island	- Unpredictable typhoon tracks
+ Great tourism facilities	- Over-protective lifeguards

Lying off the southwest coast of the Republic of Korea, volcanic Jeju Island (Jejudo) is dominated by the lofty central peak of Halla mountain, which slopes steeply down to the north and south coasts, surrounded by 368 smaller volcanoes. The rocky coastline is short on sandy beaches so Jungmun in the south is the centre of surf culture on the island, where beach, reef and pointbreaks can be ridden. Koreans rarely swim in the sea, even when itÕs flat, so most lifeguards are over-cautious, particularly when there is typhoon swell, but a nucleus of local surfers are slowly altering these attitudes and loads more Koreans are learning to surf.

When to Go

Swell arrives from three sides, but lows in the Yellow Sea and NE windslop from the Sea of Japan is usually low quality. Typhoon swells winding up in the Philippine Sea need to track NW and send SSE-SSW swell between Taiwan and Japan so the best season is from June to October. Combine the skinny swell window with strong winds that often change direction many times during the day and you soon realise this is a fickle destination. Tides are semi-diurnal with diurnal inequality and spring tides rarely exceed 2m. Download a tide chart in English.

Surf Spots

If the south coast is maxed out, head west to Chagwi-do harbour and Squid Point, a crumbly left that wraps onto the reef in front of the tetrapods. During rare typhoon swells, Songak Mountain Point can offer confident surfers both a long left point on the western side plus a righthander on the eastern side hugging the cliffs down towards the Mara Island ferry jetty. Sage-ri is a mellow beginners beach replete with surf school and lower crowd factor. Gets overpowered easily and beware the tongues of rock. In front of the Hyatt Regency, a boulder reef holds the sand and some decent low tide rights on any S swell variation, plus offers a bit of protection from W winds. Jungmun Beach has the highest concentration of different breaks on the island and a dramatic backdrop of towering, black basalt cliffs that cut strong cross/offshore winds. Locals run the ÔWave ClubÓ where more and more Koreans come to learn and an annual surf contest has been held since 2005. The Centre Peak is the inside wave with lefts and rights, which can get very hollow and sucky when hitting the sandbar. The Outside is a mushier peak and shoulder that will roll through to connect with the inside and get hollow if the swell is bigger. Both are quite consistent and usually better at low tide. Beware of very strong currents on the left side of the beach and patches of reef underneath. On the eastern headland is Shilla Point, a reefbreak peak thatÕs fast and hollow. The lefts peel nicely and can lead into the sucky sandbars on the beach. Beware of the big rock in the middle of the righthander that can only be seen at low tide. Experienced surfers can check the Seogwipo area for various rugged, rocky reef waves in bigger swells. Old Ladies is a quality right reefbreak, deep in a bay behind an island and affords good W wind protection. Soesokak needs a typhoon swell to get going but can have fun waves as the rivermouth sculpts some good sandbars. There is also rumoured to be a pointbreak nearby. Further east is a left slab at Namwon, which only turns on in special conditions of SE swell, NW wind. Pyosan Haevich is a super-popular tourist beach with gently shelving sands extending far out to sea at low tide. The outside waves can be ok and it picks up both NE and SE swells, making it more consistent than south-facing breaks. During winter, NE winds can kick up some short-period windswell on the north shore. Woljeung is probably the best north coast beach in terms of swell exposure, but it is usually flat outside the winter months so beginners will need fluky windslop in summer or thick rubber in winter. Gymnyeong, Hamdeok and Iho Tewoo are popular beginners spots with extensive shallow water.

Statistics

dominant swell

N -E

N -SW

N -E

swell size (ft)

1-2

2-3

consistency (%)

dominant wind

NW -N

NE -SW

S -SW

N -NE

NW -N

average force

F4-F5

F3-F4

consistency (%)

water temp (C)

wetsuit

4/3

3/2

boardshorts

springsuit

3/2

Travel Information

Weather
Jeju experiences both subtropical oceanic and temperate climates, so the winters are generally long, cold and dry, while summers are short, hot and humid. Spring and autumn are pleasant but short in duration. Temps range between 15¡C-30¡C (59-86¼F) in summer and 3¡C-16¡C (37-61¼F) during winter. Use a 4/3mm and boots mid winter, 3/2 from November to June and a springy or boardshorts from July through October.

Lodging and Food
Shilla Cheju Hotel super deluxe dbl room with ocean view is $470/night. In Seogwipo City, Daemyung Green Ville, New Kyongnam, Kal Seogwipo or Paradise Hotel are cheaper at $70-150/n. Jeju Guest-house, 25min N of Jungmun is $30/day. Meals are cheap: $7-12 for a full meal. Try kimchi, pickled fermented cabbage.

Nature and Culture
Visit the longest lava cave in the world. Women divers (Haenyeo) in ancient wetsuit and goggles, collect seaweed, shellfish and sea urchins, then sell them on the roadside. Sungsan`s Sunrise Peak is the main tourist site. Many trails (Yongshil, Orimok) and waterfalls.