Desperations, Fiji

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Yaro, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: NAN (NAN), 33 km.

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About Desperations

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (248°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (68°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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, March and November, with about 3 good days in 7; in August and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Yaro, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: NAN (NAN), 33 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 23 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to NAN, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
See flights MDW → NAN · Skyscanner from about £665 returnAd
Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Desperations.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Yaro, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: NAN (NAN), 33 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Desperations · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Desperations · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Desperations on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Desperations, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	22, poor	6 ft10 shollow	616kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 19 knots	25°C
Mon 19Oct	15, poor	6 ft9 shollow	550kJ	wind from the south-east, 23 knots	24°C
Tue 20Oct	20, poor	6 ft8 scrumbling	532kJ	wind from the south-east, 13 knots	25°C
Wed 21Oct	17, too small	6 ft8 smushy	359kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots	26°C
Thu 22Oct	20, too small	5 ft7 smushy	217kJ	wind from the south-east, 7 knots	25°C
Fri 23Oct	19, too small	5 ft7 smushy	174kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore	25°C
Sat 24Oct	15, too small	5 ft6 smushy	159kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots	25°C
Sun 25Oct	9, too small	4 ft5 smushy	102kJ	wind from the west, 10 knots	25°C
Mon 26Oct	11, too small	2 ft13 shollow	178kJ	wind from the south-west, 5 knots	26°C
Tue 27Oct	13, too small	3 ft13 shollow	222kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots	26°C
Wed 28Oct	17, too small	2 ft12 shollow	134kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots	24°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to NAN, changing at LAX, then 55 min by road. About 23h 25 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Desperations
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 13 kn (24 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to NAN, changing at LAX, then 55 min by road. About 23h 25 door to door

Rough cost

About £990–£1,950 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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	£665–£1,375
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£70–£115
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£990–£1,950

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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