Staying Home Sucks, home
Palm Grove's Beach, Vaimaaga, Rarotonga - panoramio (1)
Near Ava avarua. Photo: Bob Linsdell, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ava avarua

Surf spot · Cook Islands

Is it worth the trip?

13Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 13 s, onshore wind, 14 kn (26 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
148kJ
Wind
SE 19 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
549kJ
Wind
ESE 16 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
462kJ
Wind
ESE 17 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 40 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 shollow
Energy
407kJ
Wind
ESE 14 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 18 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 smushy
Energy
427kJ
Wind
SE 20 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
383kJ
Wind
ESE 17 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
634kJ
Wind
SE 12 kn
Temp
23°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, too big
  2. Tue 39, poor
  3. Wed 40, too big
  4. Thu 50, too big
  5. Fri 640, poor
  6. Sat 718, poor
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 103, poor
  10. Wed 1110, too small

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 25 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Jan, Mar1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Ava avarua, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov0, too big6 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)447kJwind from the south-east, 25 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov9, poor3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)148kJwind from the south-east, 19 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big7 ft8 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)549kJwind from the east-south-east, 16 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big6 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)462kJwind from the east-south-east, 17 knots23°C
Fri 6Nov40, poor4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.)407kJwind from the east-south-east, 14 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov18, poor4 ft11 smushy7 ft at break (est.)427kJwind from the south-east, 20 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)383kJwind from the east-south-east, 17 knots24°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)634kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots23°C
Tue 10Nov3, poor5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)296kJwind from the east-south-east, 22 knots23°C
Wed 11Nov10, too small3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the east-south-east, 20 knots23°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 NovHigh 01:37 +0.3 mLow 08:05 −0.3 mHigh 14:15 +0.3 mLow 20:30 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:44 +0.3 mLow 09:10 −0.3 mHigh 15:23 +0.3 mLow 21:47 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 04:00 +0.2 mLow 10:20 −0.2 mHigh 16:35 +0.3 mLow 23:06 −0.3 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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Ava avarua

Palm Grove's Beach, Vaimaaga, Rarotonga - panoramio (11)
Near Ava avarua. Photo: Bob Linsdell, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Palm Grove's Beach, Vaimaaga, Rarotonga (482117)
Near Ava avarua. Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Ava avarua

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (194°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (14°). 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 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and March, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Avarua, 5.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.

Water about 25°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$1,190–US$2,290 each

about US$1,190–US$2,290 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to RAR, estimated from distance and season, changing at HNL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$658–US$1,380
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$34
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$329
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$416
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,190–US$2,290

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Avarua

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Closest

Avarua

about 10 min by car · 5 places to stay

See 5 places to stay in Avarua · Booking.com

About Avarua its beds, food and every spot near it

Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 22h 55m

About 22h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → RAR, changing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), then 30 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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