Fishtraps
Surf spot · Tonga
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 9 s, onshore wind, 15 kn (27 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 327kJ
- Wind
- ESE 15 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- ESE 13 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- E 14 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 157, fair
- Mon 220, poor
- Tue 319, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Jan1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 490kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 17 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 20, poor | 5 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 327kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 15 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 19, too small | 4 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 13 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the east, 14 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 14 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the east, 14 knots | 24°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 06:06 −0.7 mHigh 12:28 +0.5 mLow 18:30 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:41 +0.6 mLow 07:07 −0.6 mHigh 13:29 +0.6 mLow 19:36 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:46 +0.6 mLow 08:07 −0.6 mHigh 14:29 +0.6 mLow 20:41 −0.5 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.
Best time to go
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Fishtraps on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- The Bowl 0.5 km away
- Lighthouse 1 km away
- Leftovers 2.2 km away
- The Corners 2.3 km away
- The Peak 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Fishtraps
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (334°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (154°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 2). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 24°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nukuʻalofa. Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 1 dive site.
Water about 26°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$1,300–US$2,500 each
about US$1,300–US$2,500 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 TBU, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$724–US$1,510 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$107 |
| 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$1,300–US$2,500 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Nukuʻalofa
29 min by car · 31 places to stay
About Nukuʻalofa its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Nukuʻalofa, 16 km (about 30 min by car)
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 → TBU, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → TBU on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.