Swimming in Niue

There are a few  but excellent places in Niue if you enjoy swimmming. All are in open waters which means if you get caught in a rip you may be end up in Tonga, New Zealand or Australia. Don't worry, this has never happened before.There is nothing like waking up when the sun is rising and going for a swim from the wharf in Alofi. It is not only good for you, but also a pleasure to do in such clean and warm waters. After having a shower, breakfast is on the table and we eat like monsters, just in time to start the day with some exploration on this fantastic Island.

Alofi is the best and recommended place were you can swim safely in the open waters without incurring in the risk of ending up in New Zealand. The reason is that Alofi doesn't have strong currents and the wharf has stairs to go in and out of the water. Of course all water activities in Niue heavily depends on the weather and if the sea is too rough. If is it you might have to cancel your plans and do something else on land. Locals in Alofi, especially teenagers congregate together just before sunset to jump and swim with their friends.. The water is so clear and inviting that once we decided to go back to the guest house to get our masks and do a snorkelling session before dark. Also twice we went snorkelling after dark around Alofi wharf using a waterproof torch. Great experience. 

If for some reason you get tired or get caught by a rip, there are not only the reef flats to climb over, but also  some 100 meters outside there are many buoys for sailboats that can serve as a rest area. The only recommendation specially during the peak season is to keep an eye for boats that sometimes brings crew from the boats to the wharf and vice versa. There are some other good places to swim in Niue, but they are basically pools such as Limu Pools or Matapa Chasm. It is not like swimming in the open Ocean but they are refreshing and safe, specially for those not fit. Avatele beach is also ok, but watch out for rips and swim only during hight tide (very shallow). If you don't want to swim to New Zealand (not recommended at all) you may be interested in swimming to Chile in South America (even worse) but in this case your start point should be Liku side instead of Alofi.

Have a safe swim in Niue.

Avatele has strong rips at the canal and it is shallow at low tide.