Motu Mahara, French Polynesia

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Fare, 6 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: HUH (HUH), 6 km.

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About Motu Mahara

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

The spot faces E (69°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (249°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 84). 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Fare, 6 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: HUH (HUH), 6 km.

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

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From Chicago: about 22 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
See flights MDW → PPT · Skyscanner from about £535 returnAd
Getting there. 3 h 15 from the airport to Motu Mahara.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Fare, 6 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: HUH (HUH), 6 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Motu Mahara · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Motu Mahara · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Motu Mahara on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Motu Mahara, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	24, poor	3 ft10 smushy	227kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots	27°C
Mon 19Oct	20, too small	2 ft10 ssoft	84kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore	27°C
Tue 20Oct	39, fair	3 ft9 ssoft	154kJ	wind from the south, 8 knots	27°C
Wed 21Oct	34, poor	5 ft9 ssoft	344kJ	wind from the south, 11 knots	25°C
Thu 22Oct	16, poor	5 ft10 smushy	579kJ	wind from the south-east, 12 knots	25°C
Fri 23Oct	17, poor	4 ft10 ssoft	363kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 19 knots	25°C
Sat 24Oct	12, poor	4 ft11 smushy	427kJ	wind from the south-east, 16 knots	25°C
Sun 25Oct	8, poor	6 ft11 smushy	708kJ	wind from the south-east, 16 knots	25°C
Mon 26Oct	0, too big	6 ft11 smushy	859kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots	25°C
Tue 27Oct	0, too big	8 ft12 smushy	1,625kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 14 knots	25°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 3h 15 by road. About 22h 50 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Motu Mahara
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Motu Mahara
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 11 kn (20 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 19 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 25 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 14 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 3h 15 by road. About 22h 50 door to door

Rough cost

About £860–£1,685 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 PPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£535–£1,110
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		£860–£1,685

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

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In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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