This is how you can score good surf waves in Tofino!

How to score good surf in Tofino
April 28th, 2026

You are in Tofino for a limited time, so you want to find the best waves. But how do you go about it?

You can do some research from home before coming to Tofino. Some apps and websites help predict where the good surf will be. It will help you decide which size board to bring or rent in advance.

If you’ve never done a surf forecast before, then read this first! 👉 Tofino surf check

How to score good surf in Tofino?

So you’ve done your research ahead, you have an idea of what the conditions are gonna be. Now you’re in Tofino, and it’s go time. How do you decide?

There are three main things to consider when searching for good surf in Tofino:

  • Swell – size and direction are important when choosing which beach to go to
  • Wind – where it’s blowing from matters; offshore is ideal
  • Tide – Tofino has big tidal exchanges, up to 13ft (4m). The height of the tide plays a big role in the quality of waves

Now let’s break it down in terms of Tofino beaches. Quite a few beaches are facing different directions, so unless there’s a huge storm or no swell, we have surfable waves here most days of the year.

1 NORTH CHESTERMAN (The steeper beach with punchy waves)

  • SWELL: needs to be on the bigger side for this beach to be firing, because there are quite a few headlands in the way, breaking down the swell when it travels towards the beach. You want the West swell to be over 6ft and 10s period, and a long-period SW swell for those beautiful peeling waves (15 seconds or more).
  • WIND direction you’re looking for is anything coming from East, mostly we get SE or ESE, especially early in the mornings. NW or SW will be onshore and making the waves crumble and break faster.
  • Any TIDE is fine for North Chesterman, but it usually prefers the incoming tide.

2 SOUTH CHESTERMAN (Summer south swells and NW winds)

  • SWELL: It’s called South for a reason – the beach is facing South, so it likes S or SW swells.
  • WIND: Because it’s facing South, it likes any wind from the North. So on days when we get hit with a NW wind, this would be a great beach to consider.
  • TIDE: waves are better on the mid to lower tide

3 COX BAY (Swell magnet)

  • SWELL: this beach is facing straight West, meaning it can receive swells from S, SW, W, and NW. For beginners, W swells under 6ft are fine; if over 6ft, then go to North Chesterman.
  • WIND: anything offshore (E, SE, ESE) or straight S is good, does not like SW or NW
  • TIDE: The waves are best at the incoming tide

4 LONG BEACH – Incinerator Rock area (Surfing in the National Park)

  • SWELL: another SW facing beach, which means S or SW swells are best, but it gets the W swells as well.
  • WIND: It can handle NW winds, especially in the bay north of Incinerator Rock, but any S, SW or SE should be super light to not blow out the waves
  • TIDE: best at high tide, incoming or outgoing

This should help you score good surf on your trip to Tofino. 🌊🏄‍♂️ But be aware that there are other factors affecting how good the surf really is, like the ever-changing sandbar, that is currently doing weird things at Cox Bay.

So the ACTUAL quickest and best way to score good surf is to walk into a surf shop and ask where the best waves are that day! 🤙 (You can give us a call or text as well, we love to chat! 📞😉)

Lara 🏄‍♀️