Namotu is a small resort island at the southern end of the Mamanuca group, off Viti Levu. The island is the resort: Namotu Island Resort, open since 1994, a boutique resort of 12 rooms, and almost everything written here about the island comes from its own pages.
Guests come for a week, Sunday to Sunday, and the reef passes are on the doorstep: Namotu Lefts and Swimming Pools off the beach, Wilkes Passage by boat, and Cloudbreak about ten minutes away.
It puts the water at around 26°C, with no wetsuit needed, and the air at about 29°C in the southern winter and 31°C in summer.
Not yet checked against a weather station or an independent model, so treat these figures as a guide.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Skill levelBring your A-game
WaterMixed bag
Wind · MayHit and miss
Crowds · MayBusy patches
Local vibeFriendly enough
Water qualityUsually clean
NightlifeA bar or two
CostMid
Geek analysis
May in the record
47% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
In May the wind most often sits at 4 to 7 kt (29% of daylight hours). No daylight hour is over 12 kt on at least half the days. The best hour is 5pm, on 41% of days. See both charts in the full report
No weather station near enough to check these figures against.
May on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Rideable days15 of 31Ten Mays in the record
Wind, rideable hours15 ktMean over daylight hours at 12 kt+
Air26.9°CMaximum
Take it with you
The full Namotu Island report
Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind02The month's own records03The resort, coaching & kit04Per-launch tide notes05Reef, boats & the cyclone season06Getting there, packing & best months07Sources, and their limits
WindChaser spot reportNamotu IslandMamanuca Islands, Fiji · May47% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
When it gets busy
Crowds
The resort takes at most 31 guests a week, and riding from the island goes through the resort. WindChaser has no count of riders on the water yet.
On the water
What May usually does
Wind directionSEThe prevailing south-east trade wind, per the resort. December to March brings more chance of tropical storms and northerly wind.
Wind strengthAbout 15 ktThe mean over rideable daylight hours, May to September, in the record, a 9 km model with no station check yet.
When it blowsBuilds all dayIn August the share of windy days rises from about a quarter at 8am to about half by 4pm.
Your playground
Launches & safety
Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.
Launch
Hazard
Parking
School
Stay
Webcam
Approximate
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Nearest airportNadi (NAN)Nadi International. The resort’s package includes the trip from the airport and back.
On the groundMay to SeptemberThe trade-wind months in the record. August is the pick.
Getting aroundCar, then boatAbout 45 minutes by car to the Marriott, then about 25 minutes by boat: about 1 hour 20 in all, per the resort.