Papa Tangaroa Surf Break

Lat Long: 27.17° S 109.38° W

Papa Tangaroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 28 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Papa Tangaroa sea temperature is
20.9°C
1.1° 

Papa Tangaroa surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Papa Tangaroa surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 9,196 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period with SW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Papa Tangaroa this week:

The surf forecast for Papa Tangaroa over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 17s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Papa Tangaroa in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (-06) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Sat 29th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 10s
Best Surf 9AM (Sat 29th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 10s
Most Powerful12PM (Mon 31st Aug)15ft (4.5m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Papa Tangaroa over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s break down what we’ve got coming our way.

We’re looking at a solid 16-day run, but it’s a mixbag. The early part of the window gets a big dump of swell, but the wind gods aren't playing nice. Then everything settles into a long stretch of so-so conditions with only a few standout windows where the stars align. Hang in there, because the very end of the forecast looks like the real payoff.

First up, Papa Tangaroa. This is an advanced reef break, so it’s for the crew who know what they’re doing. For most of Friday the 28th, we’ve got solid SW swell in the 7 ft to 8 ft range, but the wind is a mess – cross and cross-on, making for lumpy, choppy junk. Not worth paddling out unless you like getting worked over by chop. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year.

Now, by Saturday morning the 29th, it gets real interesting. The swell drops a touch to 7 ft from the SW, but the wind goes glassy - completely dead, from the NE at 3 mph. That’s a magic window. Clean, glassy conditions on a decent 7 ft swell. The period is 10 seconds, so it’s a workable mix of push and shape. This is your standout for the first week. The afternoon on Saturday stays excellent too, with a moderate offshore breeze from the N cleaning up the 6 ft SW swell. Crowds could be an issue here since it’s a rare-event spot that can get packed when it’s clean, but for a surfer who can handle the reef, this is worth an early paddle.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st turn ugly quick. Sunday morning is a write-off with fresh cross-on wind and 8 ft of lumpy mess. Sunday afternoon has a weird one – a 6 ft, 17-second groundswell but the wind is still cross and fresh, so it’s lumpy and messy despite that super long period.

Monday the 31st sees the swell jump to a massive 13 ft from the SW. This is serious, heavy energy (8551 for the combined energy on the afternoon). This is expert-only territory. Even then, the wind is cross or cross-on for most of the day, so even if you’re a charger, you’re dealing with a dangerous, lumpy 13 ft wave. The afternoon has a moderate cross-shore, which might make it slightly more manageable, but this is a huge, powerful swell with a long period of 16 seconds. Not for the faint of heart. This setup is likely more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

From Tuesday the 1st of September through to Thursday the 11th of September, it is a long, grinding stretch of marginal or poor conditions. The swell stays in the 6 ft to 12 ft range, but the wind is consistently onshore, cross-on, or just wrong. The conditions are lumpy, choppy, and not surfable in a way that’s fun. There are no real windows to get excited about. This is a gap of about 11 days where the forecast offers nothing good for clean surfing.

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel. On Friday the 11th of September, things shift. The morning is still marginal, but the afternoon gets clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE at 6 mph, pairing with a 5 ft SW swell. It’s not huge, but it’s surfable and clean.

The real prize is Saturday the 12th of September. The morning starts with a moderate offshore from the N at 9 mph, cleaning up a nice 5 ft SW groundswell. The period is a solid 15 seconds, so this will have real push and shape. This is the standout of the whole second week. Afternoon looks just as good, with a moderate offshore wind and the same clean swell. Get on it. Crowds are likely to be a factor here given how good it looks.

So, to recap: Grab Saturday morning the 29th of August for that glassy, 7 ft session at Papa Tangaroa, and then mark your calendar for Saturday the 12th of September for the clean offshore swell. Everything in between is a long, lumpy wait.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat night, min 16°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, strong winds from the NW by Sat night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 17°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon night, light winds from the SSW by Wed night).

Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
1
4
4
1
0
1
0
0
7
5
0
0
2
2
1
2
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.1
SW
12
2.3
SW
12
2.2
SW
11
2.1
SW
10
1.3
SW
15
1.6
SW
16
2.3
WSW
10
2.5
WSW
10
3.5
SW
15
4
SW
13
4
SW
16
4
SW
16
3.5
SW
15
3.5
SW
14
3
SW
14
3
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
2.1
SW
12
1.8
SW
12
1.3
SW
18
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1200
1380
1069
901
759
1140
943
1160
5358
5197
8496
7110
5373
4899
4062
3341
2570
1972
1284
899
1099
Wind (km/h)
30
W
25
SW
20
SSW
5
NE
20
N
35
NNW
30
SW
35
WSW
25
WSW
30
SW
20
W
35
W
30
SW
25
WSW
20
SW
20
S
20
SSW
15
SSW
20
S
20
S
20
SSE
Wind State
cross
cross-on
on
glassy
off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
on
on
on
High Tide
5:59PM0.49m
6:39AM0.59m
7:38PM0.50m
8:11AM0.55m
9:21PM0.55m
9:43AM0.54m
10:29PM0.63m
10:48AM0.55m
11:18PM0.71m
11:37AM0.57m
00:00AM0.79m
12:17PM0.59m
00:39AM0.85m
Low Tide
12:20PM0.32m
11:48PM0.32m
1:31PM0.34m
1:38AM0.35m
2:50PM0.32m
3:39AM0.33m
3:54PM0.29m
4:58AM0.28m
4:43PM0.25m
5:52AM0.22m
5:24PM0.20m
6:35AM0.17m
6:02PM0.15m
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
part cloud
clear
rain showers
clear
clear
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
rain showers
clear
clear
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:33
7:33
7:31
7:31
7:30
7:28
7:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:01
7:02
7:02
7:04
7:04
7:05
7:05
 mm
2
2
2
1
1
1
Temp °C
18
18
18
16
18
19
18
19
18
18
18
18
18
18
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
Feels °C
13
13
13
15
13
13
12
12
13
12
13
12
12
12
12
13
13
12
12
12
12
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Papa Tangaroa Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Papa Tangaroa provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Papa Tangaroa can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Papa Tangaroa 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 (Papa Tangaroa) 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 Papa Tangaroa 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.

Are you planning a holiday in Easter Island? If you are looking for accommodation near Tanga Roa, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Easter Island, consider staying in Caleton which is 7 km (4 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Easter Island which is 11 km (7 miles) away

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