Papenoo
Surf spot · French Polynesia
Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (2 ft swell at 10 s), onshore wind, 11 kn (21 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft18 shollow
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- SE 19 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- SE 12 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- ESE 19 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- SE 15 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 29, too small
- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
- Wed 1113, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–18 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft18 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the south-east, 19 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the south-east, 12 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 19 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the south-east, 15 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 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
- 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
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:19 −0.1 mHigh 10:28 +0.2 mLow 16:48 −0.1 mHigh 22:41 +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 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
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 Rivermouth 1.4 km away
- Rocky Point 2.4 km away
- PK15 2.5 km away
- Trou du Souffleur 3.9 km away
- Orofara 4.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Papenoo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (18°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (198°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). 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, 7.5 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$1,380–US$2,600 each
about US$1,380–US$2,600 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 PPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$604–US$1,250 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$54 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$309–US$510 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,380–US$2,600 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 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
about 15 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in ʻĀrue on Booking.com
about 20 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 2 November 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 · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.