Maui question

amateur · Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Posts: 36

My friend is going to be in Maui this December for a few days. He asked me where he can go windsurfing in Maui that has no waves since he has always sailed on flat water, and places to rent the equipments. I have never been there so I can't answers his questions. So any suggestions from this community is a great help. Thanks.

LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

He'll still need a car....
Kanaha inside the reef, about 1/3 mile, is flat water even with 12' waves breaking over the outer reef. He just has to jibe before the waves.
Sprekelsville inside is wavier if the swells are big, and actually has a few small waves on medium sized days.
Hookipa maybe just watch, as would be Jaws.
Kihei SouthShore side is usually flat in the winters, launching from the Pavilions when it's normal trade winds. On Kona storms, winds CAN cause waves to break, so he has to apply some judgement.
Aren't any lakes there, it's out in the ocean, so maybe learn to wavesail when the waves are small and friendly (90% of the time).

mch13 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 34

The best rental shop is the one closest to Kanaha Beach:
Kanaha Kai Surf Center at
96 AMALA PLACE, KAHULUI, HI Good folks who care and enjoy windsurfing.
The finding wind can be sketchy at that time of year, but your friend could be lucky. There is always SUP!

karlvelaman · Joined: 20 Aug 2002 Posts: 22

I've seen plenty of windy days in Maui in December... as have many others.
Rentals with Vela Maui through the NeilPryde Maui shop at 400 Hana Highway offers the complete 2009 JP lineup. Any non-wind days you can swap for SUP or soft-top surfboards, so staying on the water is not a problem.
Aloha!

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20946

Yep ... but last time I was there in Dec, a) I cut my FREE trip short and went home because there was no wind and I'm "touristed" out and b) the windward shore from Kanaha east was closed out with big waves and light winds. One guy was choppered out of Kanaha, another carried out in a body bag, because they ignored the warning signs and tried to sail 6-foot faces in three feet of water. Do the math.

If the OP's friend is going to be there anyway, he'll have a great time. If he's going for WSing -- which does not sound like the case -- his timing is statistically poor.

Mike \m/

LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

I'm kinda in between on this one....
While Maui can get wind easily in the winter, you can't bank on it like May, J,J, or August. You'll find it lucky to get wind 12 days in the months of winter.
Swells? I think 3' of water with overhead swells is quite reasonable, as Backyards, Sunset, Chuns, Lanikea, and MJ's, not to mention Brownies and Kahala on Oahu are seldom deeper than that.
Moks usually is deeper, as can DH and Hukilau, but the fact of life, when you connect Revelations thru into Velzyland, don't expect much more than knee deep lowtide reef if you need to straighten out....
Where is nicer to be than any Hawaii in the winter? For windsurfing alone, maybe Margies, Dom, Aruba (nah, strike dat), or LosBarriles/LaVentana......
Yes, they say Chicama blows in our winter, as well as WestOz MargaretRiver, but cheez, you can go to Chile, Baja, and Aussieland all the same year, can you?
Oh, GranCanaria is great in Dec/Jan...

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20946

hammerton · Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 49

Maui is a great place to be any time of year! Strong winds are less likely in December but there is usually some wind somewhere. Waves can be giant in December (but not all the time) but the south side will be flat. Kihei is often the best place to sail if the wind is northerly or it is blowing Kona.

You can't go anywhere in the world and be garanteed wind. But the great thing about Maui is there is so much to apart from windsurfing.

As for water depth - the waves are much more user friendly than those on the North shore of Oahu!

U2U2U2 · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject:

Is there maybe a Formula 1 race ?

LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

I would like to think that most of us would have/have done some sort of "checking it out" and research BEFORE we go out and tackle LoneTree or Pipeline wave sailing spots (theoritical, I know they've sailed Pipe, but not you and me).
We can get into trouble being blind, fat, unawares, unknowledgeable tourists ANYwhere in the world. Or thinking ourselves too smart. That translates to non wave sailors trying to rip up Jaws on a big, windless day.
Heck, a beginner windsurfer can get into trouble pinned under his sail in Kailua's shorebreak on a 10 mph NNE wind day!
To Mike (Isobars)... even Pistol's shorepound, at head high, dredges up the bottom sand and seaweed, leaving you standing in thigh deep water as the 6' hollow closeout curls top to bottom and explodes seven feet high 10' from the nose of your board......with not good results for the deeply out of place would be surfsailior. Seen it happen to even some pretty good pro level wave sailors.....