Tuamotu Island Surf Guide

Tuamotu Island in Gisborne is an exposed reef break that has quite reliable surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the north northeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the south southeast. A left hand reef break. Best around low tide when the tide is rising. Rarely crowded here. Hazards include rocks/urchins.

Tuamotu Island Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef5fairly consistent
16.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Tuamotu Island:

The best conditions reported for surf at Tuamotu Island occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

What's the best time of year to surf Tuamotu Island (for consistent clean waves)?

decemberBest Season: summer
The best time of year for surfing Tuamotu Island with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer  and most often the month of December. Clean surfable waves are typically found 52% of the time in December while 44% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 4% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
52%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
44%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
4%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Tuamotu Island Location Map

Interactive Tuamotu Island surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Tuamotu Island is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 8 km (5 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Tuamotu Island is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 132 km (82 miles) away.

  • 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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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Tuamotu Island Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 18:13 Local Time
Thursday 07Fri
3PM6PM9PM0AM
Wave (m)
0.3
SSE
0.3
SSE
0.3
SSE
0.8
NE
Period (s) 13 13 14 6
Wind (km/h)
10
15
15
15
Wind State off cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off

Swell History at Tuamotu Island

Surf stats for Tuamotu Island, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Tuamotu Island

Wind stats for Tuamotu Island, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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