Tips for Maui

[Totally Tuna]

I'm going to be in Maui the first week of January. The questions I have are this.

Where is the best place to rent boards from on the Northwest side of the Island? Or should I stick to something in Kahului? I will want somewhere that I can exchange boards out if we want to try something different.

I've reserved a full size rental car and have my own surf racks. Is there a better option for getting boards around? I'll be renting a long board, mini-mal, and SUP. SUP will stay at the condo most likely.

Surf lessons? My daughter and I have been surfing for two years in Texas. We are still basically at the beginner stage, but can catch green waves and can make basic turns down the face. Would it be better to get some lessons, or just find a break south of Lahaina and give it a try? If we get lessons who should we go with. Maui Revealed suggests Goofy Foot. I've seen sites for Zack Howard and Surf Dog Maui. I'm thinking about 2-3 hour private lessons for 2.

We are staying at a break called Rainbows(Embassy Suites) and S-Turns is just down the road. Are these breaks safe for someone of our ability (lack of ability) to try or do we need to stay clear?

What about Honolua Bay if it is smaller and not crowded? Would love to surf a long right point break.

Any other advice is welcome.

[pandarturo]

Just to let you know, Maui has some of the best surf in the world. During the winter months the north shore cranks so definitely stay to the south shores.

[jaffa1949]

A really gentle hint, neither you nor your daughter are likely to be ready for anything on the northern shores of Maui, even Honolua Bay on one of its smaller bays will be crowded with highly skilled surfers , ( not recommended for a person at your level). Swells moving into the North Shore of any Hawaiian island generate lots of water movement current and are very hazardous.


Go watch and photograph you will understand the caution! Honolua bay is very Photogenic

[cbouza3]

Go watch and photograph you will understand the caution! Honolua bay is very Photogenic

Before I ever surfed, I happened to drive up the cliffs near Honolua Bay after snorkelling the bay. It was awesome and some real rippers out there. A beautiful day and some really good action helped inspire me to try it myself. At the very least, I'd advise getting up there for some entertainment. Beautiful views all around.

[Aqualife]

You seem to have your board transportation sorted. Doesn't really matter where you get your boards from, you can always exchange them and try something else.
There is a local guy at the parking lot south of the Lahaina breakwall who rents really cheap boards, he has a lockable trailer on the parking lot and you can try any board out you like.

If you know the basics, you shouldn't need a surf school at all.
In January you will need to stick to the breaks south of Lahaina and also the ones south of Kihei, anything facing north will be too big, unless you find a protected inside reef reform.
Be aware that all north facing breaks will be subject to big swells and have a lot of water moving around. Be also aware that during the winter swell season, most people keep their radios dialled into surf report all day, as swell size can increase half hourly. You also need to expect freak sets up to 3 times bigger than your average set waves. So it does get quite dangerous in the ocean in Hawaii.
Maui's safest place to surf for beginners are the breaks south of Lahaina, starting from the Lahaina breakwall which is a superfun wave breaking left and right on reef.
I am not going to be as gentle as Jaffa, DO NOT go out at Honolua Bay in January. It's a highly localised spot, the entry and exit isn't easy and the wave has got many sections and curves horseshoe like around a reef, you can get into trouble here even if you are an experienced surfer. It's very very crowded and the level of surfing there is insane. By all means watch it but if you want to try a right hand pointbreak that is suitable for beginners, then you need to go to Costa Rica, Mexico or El Salvador.
Maui is heaps of fun for beginners, even in winter, you just need to find out where the swell is coming from and then go to the other side of island that is protected, it will be plenty big enough for you. There are some really fun waves in Hana to be had (if you have a Northwest Swell).
Just ask the locals and lifeguards when you are there. They will tell you where you are ok to go.
Enjoy.

[tonylamont]

Agree with the posts above re: getting local knowledge. Like you, I'm a fairly inexperienced surfer from TX (3 years now) and have surfed Kauai a couple of times. Lots of hazards on the islands that we don't have in TX - shallow reefs, powerful waves, urchins, breaks where non-locals are persona non grata. etc. Plus a MUCH bigger variance in wave size than we get in TX. It's common to have way larger sets at long (15 min or so) intervals. So if you're not careful it's easy to paddle out thinking it's a waist high day only to get whalloped by an unexpected head+ set.

I'd recommend taking an intermediate lesson when you get there and asking the instructor for some tips on skill-appropriate, non-localized breaks. At the very least, ask the locals, avoid shallow reef breaks, and watch each break for a good period of time before paddling out. Agree you should avoid the north shore in winter.

All that said, pick the right breaks and I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun!

[Totally Tuna]

Thanks for all the info. Definitely will heed the advice.

[Totally Tuna]

Aqualife, Costa Rica will be our next tropical vacation. Probably May 2015 though. I look at the Witches Rock surf cam almost everyday, so we might skip a ski trip and make it our next vacation.

[tonylamont]

Aqualife, Costa Rica will be our next tropical vacation. Probably May 2015 though. I look at the Witches Rock surf cam almost everyday, so we might skip a ski trip and make it our next vacation.

If you're planning a CR trip and it's in your budget, definitely consider Surf Simply in Nosara. A week solid of really good surf coaching.