Uoleva, 'Uiha & the eastern passes

South of Lifuka, the low wooded islands of Uoleva and 'Uiha sit inside the barrier reef that faces Ha'apai's east side. Two passes cut through it here, and NGA is blunt about both: strong tidal streams, and heavy rips and overfalls dangerous to boats when the stream runs east against an easterly wind. Use them at slack water.

At a glance

The passes

Ava Auhangamea. NGA says the channel between Tatafa Islet (south) and Uoleva (north) is 0.4 mile wide between the reefs, with two shoals of 5.5 to 8.2 m near the middle. The stream runs at 3 to 4 knots on the east-going current, which doesn't start until 2 or 3 hours before high water. With an easterly wind, heavy tide rips and overfalls stretch across the pass, making it dangerous for boats.

Ava Matamatavika. NGA describes it as about 0.6 mile wide with 48 to 60 m in the middle. The flood runs east at 4 to 5 knots and the ebb west at about 3 knots. When the east-going stream meets an easterly wind there are heavy rips and overfalls dangerous to boats; NGA says you can avoid them by keeping close to the reef on the south side, and that the pass shouldn't be used except at slack water.

Dangers near Matamatavika. NGA lists a narrow ridge with a least depth of 1.8 m about 2 miles south-west of Uanukuhihifu, and Ladd Reef (0.6 to 0.9 m) 2 miles north-north-west of it, with a similar patch 0.5 mile south-east of Ladd Reef. A bank north-west of Ladd Reef, all over 37 m, shows rips and overfalls that look like shoal water.

Anchoring

• Inside Ava Matamatavika. NGA gives 33 m, sand and coral, with the west extremity of Uanukuhihifu bearing 212°, 1.1 miles, and the north extremity of Tofonga bearing 094°.
• Off Uoleva. NGA warns of reef patches off Uoleva's north-west coast, with foul ground between them and the shore out to 0.8 mile. It doesn't give an anchorage off Uoleva or 'Uiha.

Hazards and cautions

• Hakau Faha. A reef awash, 2 miles north-west of Uoleva, that always breaks. NGA reports patches of 4.6 and 5.5 m nearly 1 mile west-north-west of it, and many coral heads east of it.
• Wind against stream. Both passes get dangerous rips with an easterly and an east-going stream (NGA).

Weather and seasons

• Cyclone season (dated). Tonga Meteorological Services' Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Outlook for 2026–2027 (released 28 October 2026, read 30 October 2026) gives the official season as 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 and notes that cyclones have occasionally formed outside it. It expects an average season, with 2 to 4 tropical cyclones affecting Tonga and a moderate to high chance of at least one severe tropical cyclone, and the highest risk from January to March 2027. It also reports drought declarations in force for Tongatapu, 'Eua, Ha'apai and Niuatoputapu, with Vava'u and Niuafo'ou under drought warning, so plan your water. NGA Pub. 126 adds that at Nuku'alofa sudden, violent west and north-west squalls are common from December to April.

Rules in brief

• Whales. Tonga's Whale Watching and Swimming Regulations 2013 say a private vessel may not approach closer than 300 m to any whale (unless it meets the swimming rules). If a whale approaches you, keep out of its path and, where practicable, keep 300 m away. Nobody may swim with whales except from a licensed whale-swim operator's vessel, jet skis must stay 2,000 m away, and when leaving whales go at idle or no-wake speed until you are 300 m clear.
• Special Management Areas. Many coastal communities manage their own Special Management Areas under the Fisheries Management Act 2002. The Ministry of Fisheries' brochure says nobody may enter or fish in an SMA's Fish Habitat Reserve without the community committee's permission. The brochure is from 2010 and shows only the first six SMAs, so ask the Ministry or the local community before you fish.

Facilities

• Landing. OpenStreetMap shows a ferry landing at 'Uiha village.
• Clearance and supplies. The nearest Customs port is Pangai, on Lifuka.

Ashore

What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. Listings as fetched from OpenStreetMap on 28 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.

Nothing mapped within the 15-minute walk of: 'Uiha ferry landing.

OpenStreetMap shows no bars, restaurants, shops or marine stores within a 15-minute walk of the landings on this page.

No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk.

Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 28 October 2026.

About this page

These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the current LINZ chart corrected for notices to mariners, current local notices, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.

Official links

Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.

• Whale Watching and Swimming Regulations 2013 (PDF, Ministry of Tourism)
• Ministry of Fisheries: community Special Management Areas (brochure, PDF)
• LINZ Notices to Mariners (cover the TO charts)
• NGA Pub. 126 Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pacific Islands (free PDF)
• Tonga Customs: private crafts (advance notice, temporary admission)
• Tonga Customs forms (Advance Notice of Arrival for small craft, C15 outward clearance)
• Tonga Meteorological Services: forecasts, tides and cyclone outlooks
• Tonga Meteorological Services: marine forecasts
• Maritime NZ: search and rescue in the Pacific (Mayday, beacons)
• TO 401 Northern Ha'apai Group (1:75,000)
• TO 402 Southern Ha'apai and Nomuka Groups (1:75,000)
• TO 404 Approaches to Lifuka (1:15,000)

Sources & credits

Need a delivery skipper for this coast? Get a quote from Garry Hartshorne, AMSA Master <45.