Beach· Hiva Oa· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Puamau Beach (Hiva Oa)
9° 45.8′ S · 138° 52.8′ W · approximate
The broad surf beach at the head of Puamau Bay, below the village and the Valley of the Tiki, where local kids ride boogie boards and cruisers land dinghies opposite the church.
Practical
Approximate position: head of Puamau Bay between the ZMR (09°45.6'S 138°52.5'W) and the village (OpenStreetMap/Nominatim 9.7637°S 138.8849°W). 2026 brief: 'Beach fun: enjoy boogie boarding on the shore'; if swell makes the quay unusable, beach the dinghy opposite the church by the fishermen's slipway. A June 2022 crew landed people at the quay steps and then towed the dinghy to the rock beach, timing the waves to drag it high above the surf. This is a surf beach on an exposed north-east coast: the shore break can flip a dinghy, so land in small swell, use wheels, and do not leave the dinghy ashore if the swell is building. The underwater paepae beside the anchorage is the snorkel here (see Puamau Underwater Paepae Snorkel). Water at the quay; small grocery, snack and post office in the village.
Best for
Bodyboarding and the landing for the Puamau tikis
Season
Calmest in SE trades (austral winter); heavy shore break in N-NE swell (Nov-Mar)
Nearby
- Puamau Underwater Paepae Snorkel (Hiva Oa)0.3 NM away
- Snack Therese (Puamau)0.3 NM away
- Puamau Bay (Hiva Oa)0.4 NM away
- Restaurant Marie-Antoinette (Puamau)0.5 NM away
- Me'ae Iipona Tiki Site (Puamau, Hiva Oa)0.7 NM away
- Nahoe Anchorage (Hiva Oa)2.9 NM away
- Hanapaaoa Tiki (Hiva Oa)5 NM away
- Hanaiapa-Hanatekuua Point Snorkel (Hiva Oa)7.7 NM away