Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 576kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 787kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,117kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 315kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 648kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 328kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 114, poor
- Mon 267, good
- Tue 316, poor
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 751, fair
- Sun 871, good
- Mon 931, too small
- Tue 1058, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Dec3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Paparaa - Outer Reefs 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 | 14, poor | 3 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 67, good | 4 ft13 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 576kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, poor | 3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 787kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,117kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 315kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 648kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 71, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 328kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 29°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 02:58 +0.1 mLow 10:25 −0.0 mHigh 19:18 +0.0 mLow 23:09 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 07:56 +0.1 mLow 15:11 −0.0 mHigh 20:55 +0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:59 −0.1 mHigh 09:11 +0.1 mLow 15:42 −0.1 mHigh 21:28 +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.
Best time to go
best in Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Paparaa - Outer Reefs 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Paparaa 0.5 km away
- Maraa 10.7 km away
- Afu 14.8 km away
- Sapinus Beach Break 21.2 km away
- Sapinus 21.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Paparaa - Outer Reefs
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (202°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (22°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 27°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually December, with about 3 good days in 7; in June, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Papara, 2.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,410–US$2,650 each
about US$1,410–US$2,650 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$67–US$107 |
| 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$1,410–US$2,650 |
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
5 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Papara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Paea on Booking.com
26 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Punaauia on Booking.com
35 min by car · 9 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 20m
About 20h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → PPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.