Efate - Pounders
Surf spot · Vanuatu
Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 152, fair
- Mon 269, good
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 658, fair
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 842, too small
- Mon 937, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Efate - Pounders does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 198kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 69, good | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 26°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 04:15 −0.6 mHigh 11:27 +0.3 mLow 16:44 −0.0 mHigh 22:14 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:24 −0.6 mHigh 12:34 +0.4 mLow 18:15 −0.1 mHigh 23:42 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:31 −0.5 mHigh 13:29 +0.4 mLow 19:28 −0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot and its town
Efate - Pounders on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Resorts 3.5 km away
- Efate - Breakas 3.9 km away
- Efate - Erakor Reef 5.7 km away
- Efate - Black Sand Beach 8.3 km away
- Efate - Tapi Point 8.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Efate - Pounders
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (231°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (51°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Port Vila, 7.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 3 dive sites.
Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,310–US$2,550 each
about US$1,310–US$2,550 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to VLI, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$784–US$1,630 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,310–US$2,550 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
6 min by car · 13 places to stay
About Pango its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Port Vila on Booking.com
13 min by car · 53 places to stay
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 15m
About 31h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → VLI, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → VLI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.