Vairao
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Hourly Forecast
Timezone: Pacific/Tahiti
⏱️s.
⚡️kJ
Wednesday 03
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Monday 08
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Vairao surf guide

Vairao is a surf spot located on the Iti Peninsula in Tahiti, known for its smooth left-hand waves. It’s more mellow than Teahupo'o, making it a good choice for surfers looking for quality barrels without the intensity of some other spots. The environment is fairly clean, and it offers a unique vibe due to its remote location. To get to Vairao, you can either take a boat or paddle for about 20 minutes from the shore.

The surf here is recognized for its steep, fast take-off that can lead to some perfect barrels. It’s a left-breaking wave that rolls over a live coral reef, making it essential to know your limits. Vairao can handle swell sizes from 4ft (about 1.2 meters) to 12ft (about 3.7 meters), and works best when the swell comes in from the South or South-East. The wave tends to be really good during the medium to high tides, and it performs well with North-East winds. When conditions align, you can enjoy a long ride of several hundred yards before reaching the final bowl section into the reef pass. It’s primarily suited for expert surfers and shortboards.

While the wave quality is undeniably impressive, expect to put in the effort with a medium paddle out. There's not much in terms of crowd factor, so you’ll often find yourself sharing the wave with just a few others. Just keep an eye on the reef below, as it poses some hazards. The best time to surf here is from March to September, covering both autumn and winter seasons.

Surf reports and surf forecasts nearby Vairao

Papenoo
Unknown Region, Unknown Country
Beach break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Pointe Venus
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Reef break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Arue
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Beach break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Vairao
Iles Du Vent, French Polynesia
Reef break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Teahupoo
Iles Du Vent, French Polynesia
Reef break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Maraa
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Reef break, Offshore break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Sapinus
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Reef break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Papara
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Beach break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Papara
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Beach break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14
Passe de Maraa
Windward Islands, French Polynesia
Reef break
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 11
Fri 12
Sat 13
Sun 14

Readme

Welcome! If you’re new to surf forecasting, check out this quick guide.

Forecast Table

The forecast table (the section on the page with all the numbers) is designed to pack as much information in the screen as possible. Although intimidating at first, it will help you make informed decisions about the waves faster, trust me :D. The table consists of roughly four sections, time and predictions, wind, waves, and tides:

🔮 Time and predictions section

Here we show the forecast thour and the overall surf quality prediction. This is determined based on the wave, wind and tide quality prediction. These individual predictions can be found on the forecast map.

💨 Wind section

The first row on the table (with the 💨 icon) shows wind speed, direction and gust. The more the wind speed the more aggressive the color (from blue, green, orange to red).

🌊 Wave section

The waves section consists of three rows, one for wave height and direction, one for period and one for wave energy. Our algorithm choices the "dominant wave". This is normally the first swell partition, but with heavy local storms it displays the wind waves. If that's the case, we display the numbers in italic and in gray.

🌒 Tide section

The tide section consists of a row with the actual heights per hour (measured at the half hour) and a table that displays the flow of the tide and the extremes (lows and highs).

Forecast map

The forecast map consists of arrows. These arrows represent all wave partitions (swell partitions and wind wave partition) and the wind. This allows you to see things like: a secondary swell or wind waves messes up the surf, or the wind is just a tick offshore so very surfable. Click a metric label in the bottom left to bring that arrow to the front — handy when arrows overlap.

Forecast Cheat Sheet

Short on time? Focus on wave energy. It’s the best single metric to gauge how big and powerful the waves will be.

Click any table cell to jump to that forecast hour. The map will update with forecast arrows, so you can see if wind and swell direction are lining up.

Use the table sidebar to switch units for height and speed.

Log your surf sessions to compare forecasts with real sessions and sharpen future predictions.

Models and Updates

Surfnerd blends multiple global and local wind and swell models using advanced interpolation and spatial techniques to create an "ensemble" forecast. Forecasts are refreshed hourly.

Surf Predictions

Our AI-driven algorithm scores surf quality, shown by green, orange, and gray dots. Each forecast hour is rated for wind, swell, and tide quality, then combined into an overall score. Here’s the scale:

Perfect
Good
Average
Bad or No Data

Session logs also feed the algorithm — the more you log, the smarter your forecasts get.

With Surfnerd, no more "you should have been here yesterday"

Wind certainty

Wind certainty tells you how much the weather models agree on the forecast.

  • High certainty: Models agree closely; forecast is reliable.
  • Medium certainty: Some disagreement; conditions may shift slightly.
  • Low certainty: Models diverge; treat forecast with caution.

We calculate this by comparing wind speed, gust and direction from multiple models (like GFS, ECMWF, Arome, and Harmonie) and seeing how closely they match. They are weighted, meaning that some models count more than others, depending on how good they are for a certain spot.

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