MapFijiMamanuca IslandsMana IslandMamanuca Islands

Mana Island

Western · Mamanuca Islands · Nadroga-Navosa · Nadi / Port Denarau

also known as Survivor Island

Part of Mamanuca Islands →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

lagoonnot for beginnersmedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

May–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-22 kt

Character: trade · cross-shore

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

lagoon

29 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jul Aug Sep

Schools

none named here

From the airport

Nadi International Airport (NAN)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Often glassy in the morning with trade wind building around lunchtime in Fiji winter; can also blow all day or not at all.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Tavaruano page yet
Cloudbreakno page yet
Malolo Lailai Islandno page yet
Castaway Islandno page yet
Nananu-i-Rano page yet

The spot

Mana is a real kite option in the Mamanuca Islands, about 32 km west of Nadi Airport, and thinly documented.

The lagoon

The south-side lagoon is the reason to bother: sandy and flat once you get out a bit, with reef flats that go very shallow at low tide. It also sits partly sheltered from the prevailing trades, which makes it less dependable than Nananu-i-Ra or a packaged Mamanuca kite week around Namotu.

Wind and season

The wind to wait for is the SE/ESE trade of the Fiji winter, roughly May to September or October, usually building around midday.

What to bring

Nobody on Mana rents kites, teaches, or watches the water. Bring everything, and treat the sea as unsupervised.

Who it's for

That suits self-sufficient intermediate and advanced riders who read a tide table and can look at a reef, a jetty and a resort beach and decide for themselves. Do not sell it as a supported beginner trip until a school, a rescue setup and a launch protocol are in place.

The wind

locals call it SE trade winds

Direction

cross-shore

Dominant direction

SE to ESE trade wind. A surf model for Mana Island gives NW as the prevailing direction instead, which nothing else supports; the disagreement is left unresolved.

Kite sizes

78910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider a 12 m is the kite that gets used most here, with a 9 m for the days the trades come through properly at 20 knots. Because parts of the lagoon sit in the lee of the island's own ridge, a 14 m or larger is worth the luggage more often than at an exposed Mamanuca spot.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

No on-island station, so no average on record. Forecast models show kiteable days, but there is no observed monthly figure for Mana itself.

Typical strength

12-22 kt when the trades reach Mana; lighter days and shut-off periods are reported

Usable and sometimes very good, but less certain than Fiji's established wind-sport centres. Mana can miss the full strength of the trades and can go through no-wind cycles.

Fiji's drier winter trade season runs May to September or October, and January to March is wet and unreliable for kiting. July to September is the best of it, and over at Nananu-i-Ra the trades are counted from April to November.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

9 ktJan
9 ktFeb
9 ktMar
10 ktApr
11 ktMay
11 ktJun
11 ktJul
11 ktAug
11 ktSep
11 ktOct
10 ktNov
10 ktDec

avg knots per month · season highlighted

Monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct).

Measured at Nadi, ~38 km from the spot (multi-year modeled/historical (Weatherspark)).

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air
Jan	9.3 kt	E	27.2 °C
Feb	9.2 kt	E	27.2 °C
Mar	9.4 kt	E	26.7 °C
Apr	9.9 kt	E	26.1 °C
May	10.7 kt	E	25 °C
Jun	10.7 kt	E	23.9 °C
Jul	11 kt	E	23.3 °C
Aug	11.1 kt	E	23.3 °C
Sep	10.8 kt	E	23.9 °C
Oct	10.6 kt	E	25 °C
Nov	9.8 kt	E	26.1 °C
Dec	9.8 kt	E	26.7 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · multi-year modeled/historical (Weatherspark)

A ground station recorded this, at the distance the page names.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Nadi · Weatherspark · multi-year modeled/historical (Weatherspark)

The water

Type

lagoon

Standing depth

Shallow reef flats off the north and south beaches that shallow right out at low water. The sandy part of the south lagoon, a little way off the beach, is the section riders describe as usable flat water; no measured standing area has ever been published for the island, so treat the extent as unconfirmed.

Tides

Fiji tides are largely diurnal, with a mean range near 1.1 m - about 0.9 m on neaps and 1.3 m on springs at full and new moon.On that range the reef flats off the north and south beaches shallow right out at low water and coral heads come within reach, so the usable window on the lagoon is the middle and upper half of the tide.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 26 °C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/bikini or rash vest normally; a light top can help with wind chill in Fiji winter.

Conditions

Clear lagoon water with reef close to shore off the north and south beaches, and a sandy flat section in the south lagoon that is the part worth riding. Coral heads and bommies sit in the lagoon, and there is sharp coral and debris near the east end by the jetty. No local rescue or lifeguard cover is documented.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

There is no on-island kite school, no lesson programme, no rescue service and no supervised beginner zone. The lagoon may be forgiving in places, but reef, tide, uncertain wind strength and the absence of documented rescue make this a poor place for an independent beginner unless a local operator is watching.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflatwatertravel kitingwarm-water island riding

Who it suitsbeginner

Small resort-and-backpacker island with day-trippers, snorkellers, divers, and water-sports users; not a dedicated kite camp scene.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

3 spots nearby

All 3 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

+679 670 7615

Rescue — full text1 min read

No lifeguard and rescue

There is no lifeguard and no kite rescue on Mana; every beach on the island should be treated as unsupervised water.

The only organised boats are the resort watersports fleet and the on-island dive operation, Aqua Trek Mana, whose boats work the reefs daily - neither is a standby service for kiters and both have to be asked in advance, not mid-session.

Rip currents along reef edges and passages are a known hazard in these waters. A maritime incident here goes to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, Port Denarau office +679 670 7615, incidents@msaf.com.fj.

Launch

The southerly lagoon is the flat-water option in SE wind, and both sides of the island get used as the direction changes. Launch detail, resort permission, airstrip clearance and the exact no-go areas are unconfirmed: nothing is published by a local authority or a kite operator.

Hazards riders report 15 reported

Wind

wind can be lighter here than at more exposed Mamanuca spots
Wind can be lighter or blocked compared with more exposed Fiji kite spots.
Wind can be lighter or blocked here than at more exposed Mamanuca spots

Bottom

Sharp coral and debris near the east end by the jetty.
Reported coral and sharp debris near the east end by the jetty

Waves and currents

Coral reef, coral heads/bommies, and shallow reef flats, especially around low tide.
Coral reef, coral heads and shallow reef flats, especially around low tide
Rip currents along reef edges and passages, a general Fiji hazard

Protected areas and rules

Boat traffic and resort water-sports activity around lagoon, beaches, and jetty areas.
Boat traffic and resort water-sports activity around the lagoon, beaches and jetty

Other

No on-island kite rescue or lifeguard cover on record.
Airstrip/airport proximity is an unresolved local question raised by riders.
No lifeguard and no kite rescue on any Mana beach - the water is unsupervised
Airstrip proximity is an unresolved question raised by riders and no local clearance rule has been found
Cyclones and tropical depressions from about November to April

Rules & access

1 min read

No 2026 Mana Island kite-specific permit, zoning or seasonal restriction is published. 2026: the scheduled day trip includes full use of non-motorised water sports equipment while other water sports are charged extra, and nothing on the resort's activity list mentions kitesurfing at all, so a visiting rider needs the resort's agreement before launching from its beaches.

Legal status

Fiji's 2010 Surfing Decree opened surfing areas without permits or payment, but 2025 reporting said the government planned to repeal and replace it; whether it ever applied to kitesurfing, and its 2026 status for Mana, remain unconfirmed.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Bring your own gear and repair spares. Nothing on Mana rents kite equipment, and only three operations in the whole of Fiji do.
Bring a light-wind kite: parts of the lagoon sit in the island's lee and run softer than the exposed Mamanuca spots.
Check tide timing before you rig, because the reef flats go very shallow at low water.
Walk both the north and south beaches before you commit. The two sides suit different wind directions and no kite zones are marked.
Ask the resort about boat traffic, jetty activity, airstrip safety and any village or resort rules before launching.
Treat the water as unsupervised unless you have arranged boat support. There is no lifeguard and no kite rescue on the island.
The scheduled day boat leaves Port Denarau at 08:30 and is back at 18:00, which is one afternoon session at most. Stay over if you want to kite.

Getting there

Airport

Nadi International Airport (NAN)

Route

Boats leave from Port Denarau or Wailoaloa: the South Sea Cruises catamaran runs the Mamanuca route to Mana and Tadrai, and the Mana Flyer out of Wailoaloa is the budget version. Seaplane and helicopter transfers to Mana Island Resort are sold as well.

Transfer

About 60 minutes on the scheduled Port Denarau catamaran, which leaves at 08:30 and reaches Mana at 09:30, returning 16:40 to 18:00. Other routings and boats quote anywhere from 45 minutes to roughly 85 minutes depending on stops, and a seaplane or helicopter takes about 15 minutes.

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Mana Island Resort & Spa plus budget/backpacker-style accommodation are reported on the island; nearby Mamanuca alternatives include resort islands such as Malolo Lailai, Castaway, Namotu, Tavarua, Matamanoa, and Tokoriki.

No-wind days

Snorkelling, scuba diving with Aqua Trek Mana, kayaking/SUP or other non-motorised water sports, resort pools/spa, beach time on North/South/Sunset beaches, sand cay trips, hikes/viewpoints, and boat excursions around the Mamanucas.

Photos

Mana Island viewed from sailboat, very close (172m) — Mds08011 / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Mana Island?

Fiji's drier winter trade season, roughly May to September or October, is the target window; July to September is often highlighted as strongest.

Is Mana Island suitable for beginners?

Not for unsupervised beginners; no on-island kite school, rescue service or lesson program is verified, though the lagoon can be physically forgiving.

What is the wind like?

The trade wind is SE to ESE, typically 12-22 knots when it reaches the island, though rider reports say Mana can miss the full strength of the trades.

What hazards should riders know about?

Coral reef and shallow flats near low tide, lighter or blocked wind compared with more exposed spots, and no verified kite rescue cover are the main risks.

The bigger pictureEverything about Mamanuca Islands

Last updated: August 2026