The Bowl, Tonga

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Nukuʻalofa, 16 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: TBU (TBU), 28 km.

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About The Bowl

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

The spot faces NW (331°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (151°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 2). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 24°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, October and November, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Nukuʻalofa, 16 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: TBU (TBU), 28 km. Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots and 1 dive site.

Water about 25°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 31 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to TBU, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → TBU · Skyscanner from about £645 returnAd
Getting there. 50 min from the airport to The Bowl.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Nukuʻalofa, 16 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: TBU (TBU), 28 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in The Bowl · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in The Bowl · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

The Bowl on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The Bowl does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at The Bowl, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	0, too big	8 ft9 sslab	960kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 13 knots	22°C
Mon 19Oct	0, too big	7 ft9 sslab	599kJ	wind from the south-east, 14 knots	22°C
Tue 20Oct	34, poor	6 ft8 sslab	386kJ	wind from the south-east, 15 knots, offshore	22°C
Wed 21Oct	46, fair	4 ft10 shollow	282kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 15 knots, offshore	23°C
Thu 22Oct	44, fair	4 ft10 shollow	299kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 13 knots, offshore	24°C
Fri 23Oct	36, fair	4 ft10 shollow	273kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore	22°C
Sat 24Oct	35, too small	3 ft9 shollow	165kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 15 knots, offshore	23°C
Sun 25Oct	57, good	4 ft10 shollow	318kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore	23°C
Mon 26Oct	29, too small	3 ft10 shollow	204kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots, offshore	23°C
Tue 27Oct	35, too small	3 ft11 shollow	167kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 13 knots, offshore	23°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 TBU, changing at DFW and AKL, then 50 min by road. About 31h 15 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf The Bowl
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf The Bowl
Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf The Bowl
Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf The Bowl
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf The Bowl
Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to TBU, changing at DFW and AKL, then 50 min by road. About 31h 15 door to door

Rough cost

About £970–£1,915 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 TBU, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£645–£1,340
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		£970–£1,915

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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