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Sindeok Beach in Yeosu South Korea Travel Guide

Watching Waves at Sindeok Beach in Yeosu

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A daytime trip to Yeosu’s forgotten Sindeok Beach is one of the few ways to watch waves in the area. The recent Typhoon Nakri had recently passed and the resulting calm treated South Korea to some of its clearest days. That was a thankful and momentary respite from the never-ending haze that grows more and more common here. Prior to Nakri’s official arrival, the peninsula is experiencing intense heat but clear and spacious skies.

Watching Waves at Sindeok Beach in Yeosu

This guide is part of our series on South Korea TravelEast Asia Travel, and Asia Travel. It was originally created on August 3, 2017. It has been maintained and updated on our blog (as of December 27, 2018) to reflect current viewpoints and travel destination trends.

Getting to Sindeok Beach

Taxis will get you to Sindeok Beach for about 15,000 won. The only bus that goes out there is #73, which can be caught at the Inter-city Bus Terminal and takes about an hour to reach the beach. Courtesy of Naver Maps.

Unfortunate History

We search for some water to beat the heat and the first two spots (Mossageum and Ungcheon) proved too busy. Summer vacation just started for many and getting to the water must have been on every person’s mind. Finding a quiet place required visiting one nearby that’s still too less approachable for most locals. Sindeok Beach has an unfortunate recent history, thanks to an oil spill rocking the wildlife and fortunes of local fishermen and women. Yet no signs of ecological disaster appear today. The only things on hand are the beautiful blue sky and cerulean water pushing against Yeosu’s rocky shores.

Powerful Waves

Sindeok Beach lacks the sand and wide open spaces of the more popular beaches, but the water and cool air help me forget that better places might exist nearby. From two viewpoints, it’s fun to watch the waves’ awesome power. Checking out the action from a perch of volcanic rock, the backs and forths of water into shore fill our ears. Right around the jutted-out shore is an inlet with some sand at the edge but more importantly, a better view of waves coming in from both sides.

That Perfect Moment

Sometimes the fondest memories happen without a plan and finding Sindeok is another one of those times. People have mostly abandoned this place and I wonder if and when they’ll come back. After moving from the tiny bay, we keep driving around Yeosu and other nearby spots in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province. We spot some sunflowers along the way, which adds to this pretty awesome day. Of course, the afternoon’s success is largely thanks to those moments spent at Sindeok Beach.

Have you ever visited a place that was mostly abandoned but turned out to be pretty awesome? We’d love to read your thoughts in the comments section below:) 

50 thoughts on “Watching Waves at Sindeok Beach in Yeosu

  1. Matt Inman says:

    Who knows why it is, but there is always something awesome about finding out about something that not many others know about. Thanks for sharing your hidden gem and not keeping it all to yourself (as I may ha e done with this one 😉

    • Duke Stewart says:

      Thanks Christina. That typhoon missed us and went to Japan instead. Too bad there was some damage there but most people here were quite relieved. Halong was a big one. Hopefully the typhoons will soon have run their course this year.

  2. Erica says:

    Wow, such absolutely stunning pictures. The first picture up at the top absolutely took my breath away. Glad you got through the storm and are on to other adventures!

  3. Ron Anderson says:

    I loved going to Sindeok, the prettiest beach in Yeosu in my opinion. When I was in Korea, I used to keep up with all the typhoons that are prevalent this time of year. Now that I’m living in the boondocks in Laos, I don’t access the Internet as often as I did. Nakri was completely under my radar. Hope everyone at the Uni. and elsewhere is safe and sound.

    • Duke Stewart says:

      Yo Ron! Halong turned out to be a dud here in Yeosu but left its mark on Japan, unfortunately. You must be loving that Laos weather right now. Hopefully we can come for a visit in the near future. Christina’s got the travel bug again.

  4. thetraveloguer says:

    What stunning photos! It’s so sad to hear about oil spills, it’s such a shame. I wish I was on that beach now 🙂

    • Duke Stewart says:

      This beach will hopefully get a remodel when next year comes along. Yeosu wants tourists to come but being such a small town, might not have the strength to rebuild things immediately. Thanks for stopping by.

  5. Meredith says:

    Gorgeous pictures! I can almost hear the waves smashing on those rocks. It’s hard to imagine that was the site of such a disaster.

  6. Evan and Rachel says:

    I remember hearing about the oil spill from a coworker! I’d be curious too to see how long they abandon it. Good to hear there was no visible trace of the spill at least. Beautiful pictures!

    • Duke Stewart says:

      That oil spill was a bit underreported to us here, in my opinion. It seemed that the locals were hoping that nobody reported on it on a large scale. Things seemed to be clean despite the abandoned vending areas having some trash around them. Hopefully things can get back to normal there soon.

  7. TheRecipeHunter says:

    Your pictures are absolutely breathtaking. I can practically hear the surf crashing upon the beach and rocks and feeling the salty spray hit my face. It sounds that kismet was in play as your day developed such fond memories. I agree that can happen. That might be why they’re so cherished.

  8. Nathan says:

    Glad there was a lull in the storm for you to enjoy that day! I love spending time at the beach, immersing myself in the environment there. I’ve also had some of my favorite moments happen unexpectedly by the seaside. Stay safe!

  9. Tom Stockwell (@waegook_tom) says:

    The beach looks great, but which island is it on exactly? I went to Geumodo back in 2012 and really enjoyed my time there. Wondering which of the islands this one is.

    • Duke Stewart says:

      This one is in Yeosu, Tom. It’s north of the black sands beach (Manseongri) and Mossageum. Not a bad place but a bit of unfortunate history there. Thanks for stopping by.

    • Duke Stewart says:

      It happened earlier this year but seems that the locals have abandoned it. I didn’t really show any photos of the evidence but lots of places for stalls are empty and starting to deteriorate.

  10. Tim says:

    The heat of a hot day mixed with a gorgeous ocean, a disastrous history, an impending storm, and the resulting clear skies. That’s quite a foundation for a story and adventure. Hope the storm passed without any trouble for you. You are right though. The most incredible things happen when least expected.

  11. William Butler says:

    Hi Carl,
    Thanks for sharing your memories of Sindeok Beach. Your magnificent photos are the next best thing to being there, so thank you for the vicarious visit to a most beautiful locale.

    Kind Regards,
    Bill

  12. hanamuv says:

    I feel really relaxed looking at these photos, I’ll check where’s the beach and try to visit it (because Incheon beaches have nothing to do with this!)

  13. Lenie says:

    Carl, these pictures and your write-up are wonderful and I’m so glad the oil-spill seems to have been taken care off. I really love the photo ‘crashing waves at Sindeok’. Really shows the power behind them. Thanks for sharing.

  14. Jacqueline Gum (@JacquelineGum) says:

    These pictures of Sindeok Beach are so beautiful! The accompanying story really did evoke a strong sense of being there…to hear the waves crash and smell that fresh air. So happy that you could experience this after the oil spill and before the storm.

  15. backpackerlee says:

    Where exactly is Sindeok Beach? I couldn’t see you mention in your article, but from the sound of ‘volcanic rock’ I would guess Jeju? Anyway, the beach does look amazing, good that it’s somewhat deserted, and I hope you can stay safe from that typhoon. P.S. haze in Korea? So, it’s not just Singapore that suffers, then?! 😛

    • Duke Stewart says:

      Sindeok is in Yeosu, about as South as you can get without being in Jeju. Haze is normal here, thanks to many factors. Many people blame China but I’d like to think Korea is somewhat responsible. Anyway, it’s a nice place to visit. I’d recommend it if you’re ever in the area again.

  16. michelelobosco says:

    Sindeok beach looks breathtakingly beautiful…reminds me of some of the beaches I saw visiting Thailand years and years ago. It is really unfortunate to hear about the oil spill that occurred here, but I’m glad there were no signs of it the day you visited! Thanks for sharing these gorgeous images…
    Michele

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