Kaanapali’s three miles of white sand and resorts make it one of Hawaii’s top vacation spots, but it has only a couple of surf breaks. Kaanapali Point has a consistent beginner wave that gets crowded with surf school lessons and residents, and Rainbows, north of Kaanapali, is a serious wave for experts only. The beach itself is fun for bodysurfing, bodyboarding and skimboarding on calm days. Here’s what to expect.
We teach private lessons at Ukumehame, about 20 minutes from Kaanapali, where you’ll have room to learn and more waves to yourself.
Every lesson is private: just you and your own group, never combined with other guests.
Just you: $289 · Your group of 2–4: $149 per person
Free lesson photos · Stand up on your first lesson or your next one is free
There’s usually something to surf here, and the waves are typically gentle and sloping, perfect for beginners. As one of the few breaks on this stretch of beach, it gets crowded with lessons from several surf schools and with residents competing for waves. The best surf is in front of the Kaanapali Alii and just to the right of the Marriott. It can get bigger in winter, so use caution.
Don’t let the name fool you: Rainbows is a serious wave north of Kaanapali that can do major damage if your skills aren’t up to it. It needs a big winter swell and breaks over sharp, shallow reef full of sea urchins, often with strong currents. Leave this one to the experts.
Kaanapali Beach’s sandy shoreline is fun for bodysurfing, bodyboarding and skimboarding on calm days. Bodysurfers catch a breaking wave by swimming to match its speed, arms stretched out in front.
Bodyboarders catch waves the same way, lying on a small board. You can rent one cheaply from local shops.
Skimboarders glide over shallow water on a small, thin board. Be careful: the shallow shore break here can be dangerous, especially when winter brings bigger surf. Back and spinal injuries have happened here, so check conditions and obey rough-surf warning signs.
Kaanapali Point has gentle beginner waves, but it’s one of the only breaks here and gets crowded with surf school lessons.
Kaanapali Point, in front of the Kaanapali Alii and just to the right of the Marriott.
No, and we don’t provide them. Booties, sometimes called reef walkers, give a false sense of protection. If you step on a sea urchin, its spines go right through them and into your skin. The safest approach is to never stand up on the reef or let your feet touch it. It protects the reef too: coral is a living organism that grows only about a centimeter a year and dies almost instantly when touched, and healthy reef is vital to the ocean. Experienced surfers don’t wear anything on their feet. We teach you to enter and exit over sand and to lie on your board and paddle over shallow reef.
About 20 minutes, at Ukumehame.
We teach at Ukumehame, about 20 minutes from Kaanapali and 15 from Lahaina, and only move to Guardrails when it’s too windy at Ukumehame. Ukumehame has gentle beginner waves with far fewer people in the water, so each student gets more waves and an instructor focused only on their group.
Maui Surf Spots 
