A couple of families with four teenage boys would like to visit someplace in the South Pacific in November. There are surfers, body boarders, scuba divers and snorkelers in our group. We like out of the way spots, but like to have a town or village nearby (the boys need options to keep them busy). Anyone have any suggestions so we can narrow down our search?

Fiji is of course the obvious place for all of these things, but having traveled extensively throughout the South Pacific, Samoa, IMO is the most traditional of all Islands. It is the South Pacific you expect to see. Not overun by tourists, good accomodation at Aggie Greys or Tusitala (Hotel Kitano). Hire a car drive around the Island and find the best spots to surf, dive or snorkel.
And of course the seafood. Quite brilliant!

Thanks for helping us narrow it down!

Without confusing the issue, Vanuatu is also excellent for accomodation and very serious dive sites. Not as enchanting as Samoa, but a beautiful harbour. So you have a couple of places to think about.

Hello,

I have a similar question for my family (2 teen daughters) but I want a place with good swimming, warm water, and minimal surf.

We plan on traveling in Feb and was thinking of 4-5 days in Cook Islands and Bora Bora, depending on costs.

My wife is intrigued by Somoa but it seems more for surfers than swimmers.

Samoa has some excellent beaches for swimming especially on the far side of the Island e.g. Coconuts Beach Club or Paradise Beach. This is the area where the original (black & white) Blue Lagoon was filmed and it is the South Pacific that you imagine it to be, sandy beaches, coconut palms and clear blue sea.
Samoa also has other interesting islands close by with American Samoa (a short plane flight away) well worth a visit. Pago Pago being the main town with an interesting historical museum, markets, black pearl shops and of course the setting for Somerset Maughans short story "Rain" . The Sadie Thompson Bar is in the Rainmaker Hotel. The countryside of American Samoa, like most of the Pacific, is volcanic and provides views that can only be described as awesome. Savaii is another island only a short ferry ride from Apia and is worth a trip.
Robert Louis Stevenson of "Treasure Island" fame spent his last few years on Samoa. His grand house "Vailima" is now a museum and open to tourists while his grave is on Mt.Vaea high above Apia. The Cook Islands are of course a very beautiful area with magnificent lagoons and are also an ideal holiday spot.