Telos Island, Nias, Indonesia

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Purus, is 252 km away. Nearest airport: GNS (GNS), 150 km.

Watch this spot We email you when Telos Island, Nias is worth the trip.

About Telos Island, Nias

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (260°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (80°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 5 good days in 7; in November, about 2. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Purus, is 252 km away. Nearest airport: GNS (GNS), 150 km.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 39 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to PDG, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL).
See flights ORD → PDG · Skyscanner from about £845 returnAd
Getting there. 8 h 30 from the airport to Telos Island, Nias.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Purus, is 252 km away. Nearest airport: GNS (GNS), 150 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Telos Island, Nias · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Telos Island, Nias · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Telos Island, Nias on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Telos Island, Nias, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	52, good	3 ft13 shollow	243kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot	28°C
Mon 19Oct	67, good	4 ft12 shollow	377kJ	wind from the east, 3 knots, offshore	28°C
Tue 20Oct	63, good	4 ft11 shollow	395kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots	28°C
Wed 21Oct	55, good	4 ft10 shollow	243kJ	wind from the east, 2 knots, offshore	28°C
Thu 22Oct	35, too small	3 ft7 shollow	63kJ	wind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore	29°C
Fri 23Oct	60, good	3 ft15 shollow	377kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots	28°C
Sat 24Oct	68, good	4 ft13 shollow	542kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot	28°C
Sun 25Oct	69, good	4 ft12 shollow	386kJ	wind from the west, 1 knot	28°C
Mon 26Oct	58, good	3 ft11 shollow	225kJ	wind from the west, 3 knots	28°C
Tue 27Oct	56, good	3 ft10 shollow	194kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore	28°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to PDG, changing at HKG and KUL, then 8h 30 by road. About 39h 40 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Telos Island, Nias
Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Telos Island, Nias
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Telos Island, Nias
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Telos Island, Nias
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 15 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Telos Island, Nias
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 13 s, wind 1 kn (3 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to PDG, changing at HKG and KUL, then 8h 30 by road. About 39h 40 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,030–£2,085 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to PDG, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG and KUL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£845–£1,760
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£35–£60
Food	7 days eating out	£80–£145
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£35–£55
Total		£1,030–£2,085

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.