Efate - Epao
Surf spot · Vanuatu
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 246, fair
- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 554, fair
- Fri 643, poor
- Sat 743, poor
- Sun 837, poor
- Mon 941, poor
- Tue 1036, poor
- Wed 1134, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Efate - Epao 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 | 46, fair | 3 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft6 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, poor | 3 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 34, poor | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the east, 10 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 05:07 −0.6 mHigh 12:03 +0.4 mLow 17:47 −0.2 mHigh 23:30 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:14 −0.6 mHigh 13:00 +0.5 mLow 18:59 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:47 +0.4 mLow 07:12 −0.6 mHigh 13:48 +0.5 mLow 19:57 −0.4 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 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
Efate - Epao 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Efate - Soumabal Point 23.7 km away
- Efate - Black Sand Beach 25.6 km away
- Efate - Teouma Bay 25.8 km away
- Efate - Erakor Reef 28.4 km away
- Efate - Tapi Point 28.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Efate - Epao
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (61°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (241°). It is sheltered 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 12). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 26°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Port Vila.
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$1,350–US$2,610 each
about US$1,350–US$2,610 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to VLI, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$785–US$1,640 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,350–US$2,610 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 45 min by car · 53 places to stay
About Port Vila its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Erakor on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 9 places to stay
Nearest beds: Port Vila, 25 km (about 45 min by car)
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 31h 25m
About 31h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → VLI, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → VLI on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.