Located in the South Pacific and right on the International Dateline, the island of Tonga is known as "The land where time begins." But if you've ever dreamed of surfing somewhere where time has stood still, here's your island. Tonga is the Pacific's last surviving monarchy (King Taufa'ahua Tupou IV still reigns) and the only island group never to be colonized by outsiders. Which means that a surf trip to Tonga is really a trip, and not merely a Western concept of what a tropical island retreat looks like.

Tongan surf is of the hollow reef-pass variety. And we mean variety: over nine breaks lie within walking and paddling distance of Ha'atafu, which is located on the island's northwest coast. Grinding lefts, short, intense right barrels, peaks and long walls-there's no better place to hone your tropical reef break style. This region gets waves year-round, with south swells dominating from March through October, swells generated out of the North Pacific best from November through February. During the north swell season, several seldom-ridden breaks are accessed by the resort's boats. The air and water temps are slightly cooler in Tonga than its neighboring island nations due to its close proximity to the Tongan Trench, the deepest trench in the Pacifics.