Seasonal· Fatu Hiva· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Hanavave Williwaws (Fatu Hiva Downslope Gusts)
10° 27.9′ S · 138° 40.0′ W · approximate
The Bay of Virgins makes its own weather: easterly trades pour over the ridges and down the Hanavave valley as violent offshore bullets, often strongest at night, while the daytime can fall almost calm between gusts.
Practical
Position is the anchorage (nominal). Cruiser data (compendium): forecast E 12-14 kn outside, but night 'ground wind' of 18-22 kn gusting 30 kn in the bay; daytime calmer, sometimes nearly no wind, 'still with vicious gusts'; sun, cloud and rain can change within 15 minutes; mountain tops normally in cloud (Taitonga, Nov 2018). Within 2 nm of the island winds alternated 6-26 kn with 70-degree shifts. A 2023 report calls the bay 'incredibly gusty' and blames almost all the nightly dragging and collisions at the Dec 2022 Matava'a on short scope. What to do: anchor in more than 40 ft (12 m) with generous scope, set hard at high revs, leave swinging room (boats swing through wide arcs in the gusts), keep the dinghy hoisted or well secured at night, and avoid arriving after dark (no navigation lights). Gusts up to 3 times the mean wind are also reported when rounding the island's points.
Best for
Planning a safe night in Hanavave
Season
Year-round; worst in reinforced E-SE trades (roughly Jun-Sep)
Nearby
- Hanavave Bay of Virgins Anchorage (Fatu Hiva)Right here
- Hanavave Bay Snorkel (Fatu Hiva)0.1 NM away
- Hanavave Water and Trash0.1 NM away
- Magasin Moota (Hanavave)0.2 NM away
- Fatu Hiva Dance and Drum Evenings0.3 NM away
- Hanavave Kaikai Dinners with Local Families0.3 NM away
- Hanavave South Wall Dive0.3 NM away
- Hanavave Stone Tiki Carver0.3 NM away