Papenoo Rivermouth
Surf spot · French Polynesia
Is it worth the trip?
9Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (2 ft swell at 12 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- SE 12 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 115, too small
- Mon 27, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Papenoo Rivermouth does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 15, too small | 5 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 183kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the south-east, 12 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft16 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 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 00:48 −0.0 mHigh 07:27 +0.1 mLow 15:00 −0.1 mHigh 21:08 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:01 −0.0 mHigh 09:03 +0.1 mLow 15:44 −0.1 mHigh 21:43 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:44 −0.1 mHigh 09:51 +0.1 mLow 16:18 −0.1 mHigh 22:12 +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
Papenoo Rivermouth 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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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
- Papenoo 1.4 km away
- Rocky Point 2.1 km away
- PK15 2.3 km away
- Trou du Souffleur 3.3 km away
- Orofara 4.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Papenoo Rivermouth
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (20°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (200°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). 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 January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Mahina, 7.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.
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$2,590 each
about US$1,370–US$2,590 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$33–US$54 |
| 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$2,590 |
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
8 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Orofara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mahina on Booking.com
13 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in ʻĀrue on Booking.com
19 min by car · 8 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 05m
About 20h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → PPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.