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faaroa, French Polynesia

Stay in Uturoa: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Uturoa

All 13 on Uturoa's map

Watch this spot We email you when faaroa is worth the trip.

About faaroa

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

The spot faces NE (48°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (228°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.2 km out (1 in 217). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Uturoa, 9.7 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.

Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

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

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

    See flights MDW → PPT · Skyscanner from about £535 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 3 h 55 from the airport to faaroa.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in UturoaAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Uturoa · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Uturoa · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

faaroa on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

faaroa does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct63 ft9 smushy143kJ29°C
Mon 19Oct103 ft7 smushy56kJ29°C
Tue 20Oct214 ft6 smushy102kJ27°C
Wed 21Oct265 ft7 smushy175kJ27°C
Thu 22Oct244 ft10 ssoft338kJ26°C
Fri 23Oct175 ft9 ssoft335kJ26°C
Sat 24Oct185 ft9 ssoft313kJ26°C
Sun 25Oct205 ft11 ssoft514kJ26°C
Mon 26Oct116 ft9 smushy429kJ26°C
Tue 27Oct236 ft9 smushy598kJ26°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 3h 55 by road. About 23h 25 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 27 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Miri miri

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Miri miri

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 8 ft at 10 s, wind 9 kn (18 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Miri miri

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 7 ft at 12 s, wind 16 kn (29 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Miri miri

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 7 ft at 11 s, wind 15 kn (29 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 3h 55 by road. About 23h 25 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Uturoa each day: faaroa, Miri miri, Teavapiti.

The trip from Uturoa, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,025–£1,965 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£535–£1,110
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£70–£115
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£165–£280
Food7 days eating out£155–£290
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£1,025–£1,965

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

Places to eat near Uturoa

  • Jade GardenChinese · 0.2 km from the centre
  • La pizzeria du marché d’Uturoa - L’ApizzaPizza · 0.5 km from the centre
  • Le Kaimana0.9 km from the centre
  • Brasserie Mara'amu0.2 km from the centre
  • La Raie Gate0.2 km from the centre
  • Lynk0.2 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.