Is it worth the trip?
23Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 11 s, onshore wind, 16 kn (30 km/h)
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 308kJ
- Wind
- E 16 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 141kJ
- Wind
- E 18 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- ESE 17 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- E 17 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- E 19 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ESE 19 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- E 22 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, poor
- Tue 335, poor
- Wed 429, poor
- Thu 522, poor
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
- Wed 1144, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jan–Mar2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Vatulele Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, poor | 5 ft11 sslab8 ft at break (est.) | 651kJ | wind from the east, 20 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 35, poor | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 308kJ | wind from the east, 16 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 29, poor | 4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | wind from the east, 18 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 22, poor | 3 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the east, 17 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the east, 19 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 19 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the east, 22 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 196kJ | wind from the east, 20 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 225kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 15 knots | 25°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 06:11 −0.7 mHigh 12:42 +0.6 mLow 18:40 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:45 +0.6 mLow 07:14 −0.7 mHigh 13:45 +0.6 mLow 19:49 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:55 +0.6 mLow 08:15 −0.7 mHigh 14:43 +0.7 mLow 20:52 −0.6 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 Jan–Mar
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
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Vatulele Reef 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Vatulele Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (205°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (25°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 3). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 26°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and March, with about 2 good days in 7; in August, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Namatakula, 44 km (about 1h 20m by car). Nearest airport: Nadi International Airport (NAN), 96 km.
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$1,030–US$2,030 each
about US$1,030–US$2,030 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 NAN, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$744–US$1,550 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$100 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$134–US$241 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,030–US$2,030 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 44 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Namatakula, 44 km (about 1h 20m by car). Nearest airport: Nadi International Airport (NAN), 96 km.
See places to stay near Namatakula, 44 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 24h 30m
About 24h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NAN, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → NAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.