
Surf Forecasts:
Taapuna surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 17s period, SSW swell with 8,409 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Taapuna this week:
The surf forecast for Taapuna over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 21s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Taapuna in the next 16 days are 4.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (-10) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Taapuna over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a wild ride ahead over the next couple of weeks, but it’s not all going to be pretty. The first few days are looking proper, with some solid, clean surf. Then we’re going to get battered by a nasty spell of wind and rain, before things settle back down into a more promising, though less certain, longer-period pulse. Keep your wits about you, and pick your moments.
The action kicks off Wednesday morning with Taapuna (Moorea) handling some SW swell at 4ft, period 13 seconds. The ENE breeze is light, so it’s going to be clean. It’s a reef break, very consistent, so it’ll be working. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. This is a nice warm-up. The energy is moderate at best – 886 – but the quality is there. Wednesday afternoon, the swell drops a bit to 3ft, but the period jumps to 20 seconds. That's some serious long-period groundswell. Glassy conditions with virtually no wind. This is a standout – waves will be lined up and powerful, perfect for the experienced surfer. Expect some good ones.
Thursday is a step up. Morning sees the swell jump to 8ft at 17 seconds from the SSW, and the wind is a light cross-offshore. The energy jumps to 2849 – moderate to strong. This is excellent. Thursday afternoon is about as good as it gets – glassy conditions, 7ft of SSW swell at 16 seconds, energy at 2297. If this is your level, this is your session. It's powerful but clean. This is one of the best windows we’ve got.
Friday the swell is still up at 7ft in the morning, but the wind picks up from the east at 12 mph, making it a bit lumpy. It's a reef, so it'll still hold some shape, but it's not as clean. The energy is strong at 2275, but the wind is a factor. By the afternoon, it pushes to a solid 10ft and the wind eases a touch, but it's still a bit cross-off. This is getting big, and you need to know what you’re doing. The energy is hitting 3676, which is serious.
Saturday starts big and clean – 8ft of SSW at 14 seconds with a light offshore ENE breeze. The energy is strong at 2980. This is powerful, critical surf. It’s for the advanced crew only. The afternoon, however, turns a bit more onshore and the quality drops off.
Then, it gets ugly. Sunday morning, the wind howls from the SE at 25 mph, the rain comes in, and the swell is a stormy 12ft. That’s a 6213 energy reading, right up there in the strong to very strong bracket, but it's a complete mess. The wave comment says it all – poor surf conditions. This is not a day for a paddle; it’s a day to watch the chaos. This wind and rain unfortunately continue through Monday, Tuesday, and into Wednesday. We’ve got a real stretch of poor to marginal surf. The swell stays up, but the wind and rain ruin any chance of quality. There's a bit of a gap here where it's just not worth it.
Things start to look up on Thursday the 13th. The wind drops to a gentle 9 mph, and we have 6ft of S swell at 12 seconds, with an energy of 1141. It's back to being clean and the conditions are good again. It's not the size we saw before, but the quality is there for some fun ones.
The week after, the wind is a big problem again, blowing strong from the east and southeast. The swell is still present but the quality suffers. Saturday the 15th is a write-off and the period gets short and weak.
Moving into the second week, the outlook becomes more of a promise than a certainty. Around Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, we see another pulse of longer-period swell – 7ft and 6ft at 15 seconds and 13 seconds. The wind is still fresh from the east, but it's cross-offshore, so it could be makeable. The energy is strong. It has potential, but the wind will be the deciding factor. By Wednesday the 19th, we’re back to a 3ft groundswell with a 19-second period. That’s a very long-period swell, which can be amazing at a reef like Taapuna, but might just go a bit too straight. Still worth a look.
The real standout in this whole window is Thursday afternoon, August 6th. Glassy conditions, a solid 7ft of SSW groundswell at 16 seconds – that’s a powerful, clean, memorable session. If you get one day in the next two weeks, that’s it.
Alright, keep an eye on the forecast and be ready to move when the wind plays ball. This is a reef break, so don’t get caught inside on the big ones.
Stay stoked.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 26°C on Sat afternoon, min 23°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Sat morning, strong winds from the SE by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
479 | 485 | 917 | 2849 | 2285 | 1908 | 2451 | 3242 | 3197 | 2728 | 2187 | 8409 | 5819 | 6584 | 3669 | 3164 | 2801 | 1830 | 1535 | 2122 | 1541 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:33PM0.20m | 2:43AM0.21m | 3:36PM0.15m | 1:16AM0.19m | 9:41AM0.16m | 11:30PM0.21m | 10:33AM0.20m | 11:35PM0.23m | 11:06AM0.24m | 11:52PM0.26m | 11:37AM0.28m | 00:12AM0.27m | 12:07PM0.31m | 00:33AM0.29m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:34AM0.10m | 8:59PM0.15m | 10:16AM0.12m | 5:43PM0.15m | 7:04AM0.16m | 4:48PM0.11m | 5:34AM0.14m | 5:10PM0.06m | 5:31AM0.10m | 5:37PM0.03m | 5:47AM0.07m | 6:05PM0.01m | 6:09AM0.04m | 6:32PM-0.00m | |||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 31 | 8 | 3 |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24 |
Feels °C | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 14 | SSW 14 |
479 | 390 | 472 | 2849 | 2285 | 1908 | 2451 | 3242 | 3197 | 2728 | 2187 | 8409 | 5819 | 6584 | 3669 | 3164 | 2801 | 1830 | 1535 | 2122 | 1541 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 20 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | NE 10 | NE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | S 19 | — | ESE 12 | — | NNW 12 | ESE 12 | NNW 13 | NNE 12 | NE 10 | ESE 12 | NW 13 |
388 | 485 | 917 | 24 | 23 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 365 | — | 57 | — | 15 | 87 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | E 8 | ESE 8 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 10 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NNE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 13 | NW 13 | NE 7 | NW 13 |
19 | 149 | 246 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | ESE 12 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 4 | ESE 8 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 147 | 112 | 172 | 71 | 49 | 350 | 256 | 28 | 489 | 285 | 246 | 276 | 303 | 36 | 287 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 15 | 2616 | 2616 | 3503 | 3503 | 3503 | 2616 | 2616 | 2616 | 2616 | 2616 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Tahiti | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in French Polynesia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Taapuna Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Taapuna provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Taapuna can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Taapuna surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Taapuna) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Taapuna may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Taapuna is 4 km (2 miles) from Papeete. If you plan a holiday in Tahiti, look for hotels and other accommodation in Papeete. Papeete has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











