Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 277kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 313kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 413kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 278kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 110, too small
- Mon 219, too small
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 434, too small
- Thu 531, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 813, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 109, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–15 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 277kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, too small | 5 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 313kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 31, too small | 5 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 413kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 278kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 27°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 NovHigh 07:50 +0.0 mLow 15:21 −0.1 mHigh 21:40 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:10 −0.0 mHigh 09:16 +0.1 mLow 15:53 −0.1 mHigh 21:55 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:47 −0.1 mHigh 09:58 +0.1 mLow 16:21 −0.1 mHigh 22:18 +0.1 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
La Fayette Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- La Fayette 1.1 km away
- Taharaa Reef 1.1 km away
- Point Venus 3.7 km away
- Orofara 6.1 km away
- Papeete Harbour 7.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Fayette Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (335°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (155°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 27°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is ʻĀrue, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.
Water about 28°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$1,370–US$2,580 each
about US$1,370–US$2,580 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 PPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$603–US$1,250 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$308–US$509 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,370–US$2,580 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
2 min by car · 8 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About ʻĀrue its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mahina on Booking.com
6 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Papeete on Booking.com
10 min by car · 33 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. 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 20h
About 20h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → PPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.