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Motutapu 85.3

#1343 of 5753 surf spots in the world · 🇨🇰 Cook Islands · Rarotonga · near Avarua

Works almost every day, wind is the enemy here, no off season.

Works all yearWarm waterAdvanced
Surf score85.3 /100
Surfable days99% of the year
Clean days16% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell62% period 11 s+
Typical size2.1 m 6.8 ft median
Water26°C boardshorts

Best time to surf Motutapu

The best time to surf Motutapu is February, March, April. The season runs Feb to Feb. In February the water sits around 28°C, so pack boardshorts, and the typical wave is 1.9 m. The nearest airport is RAR (9 km) and the nearest town is Avarua (8 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan97%9%2.0 m28°Cboardies
Feb100%50%1.9 m28°Cboardies
Mar100%25%2.0 m29°Cboardies
Apr100%27%1.9 m27°Cboardies
May100%11%2.3 m26°Cboardies
Jun100%17%2.3 m25°Cboardies
Jul96%10%2.3 m24°Cvest
Aug98%8%2.2 m24°Cvest
Sep100%15%2.2 m25°Cvest
Oct100%7%2.2 m25°Cvest
Nov100%11%1.9 m26°Cboardies
Dec100%11%1.8 m26°Cboardies

Why 85.3

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and weighted; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world is 100.

Consistency 26%
26.0
Clean days 24%
9.1
Groundswell 12%
12.0
Season spread 10%
10.0
Wave size 8%
6.6
Water comfort 10%
9.4
Access 10%
10.0

The detail

Faces 100° with 64% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 26% of days. Mean peak period 11.8 s. Days over 3 m: 9%. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 1%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates -21.245, -159.723 (OpenStreetMap).

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