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.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Motu Mahara, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	8, too small	2 ft10 ssoft	79kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore	27°C
Tue 20Oct	13, too small	4 ft9 ssoft	210kJ	wind from the south, 11 knots	27°C
Wed 21Oct	20, too small	5 ft9 ssoft	313kJ	wind from the south, 12 knots	25°C
Thu 22Oct	14, too small	5 ft10 smushy	474kJ	wind from the south-east, 12 knots	25°C
Fri 23Oct	12, too small	5 ft12 ssoft	676kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 19 knots	25°C
Sat 24Oct	8, too small	5 ft11 smushy	679kJ	wind from the south-east, 16 knots	25°C
Sun 25Oct	9, too small	5 ft11 smushy	678kJ	wind from the south-east, 16 knots	25°C
Mon 26Oct	23, poor	7 ft12 smushy	1,129kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots	25°C
Tue 27Oct	20, poor	7 ft12 smushy	1,453kJ	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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to PPT, changing at LAX, then 3h 15 by road. About 22h 50 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 15 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 17 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 9 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 10 of 80.
Mon 26 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.

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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