Kihei, on Maui’s sunny south shore, has small, consistent waves for much of the year. Its two beginner breaks, Kalama Park and Cove Park (“the Cove”), are also the most crowded places to learn to surf on Maui, overrun with surf school students most mornings. Further along the coast, Sidewalks and Kihei Boat Ramp offer faster waves for experienced surfers. Here’s what to expect at each.
We teach private lessons at Ukumehame, about 25 minutes from Kihei, 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
Gentle, slow-rolling beginner waves off a small sandy beach, with shallow rock just offshore. Most South Maui surf schools teach here and spill over into Cove Park, so the area is extremely crowded, especially on weekends and between 8am and 2pm when lessons are in session. On bigger swells, the outer reef (“Kalama Bowls”) gives experienced surfers fun waves.
At the south end of Kalama Park, the Cove’s consistent, long, slow waves are ideal for learning, which is why it’s the other main spot for large surf schools. The lineup is usually packed.
The entry is sandy, but there’s shallow rock and living coral offshore, so lie on your board and paddle over it rather than standing. On big summer swells, intermediate surfers can find fun waves here too.
One of Kihei’s few shortboard waves: shallow and fast, for advanced surfers only. Reach it from Keawakapu Beach, which has showers and restrooms at its south end. Beginners should stick to Kalama Park and the Cove, or Maui’s west side.
A fickle wave that needs a large swell to break, with hollow, fast lefts and rights for intermediate to advanced surfers.
It’s an active boat harbor, so watch for boat traffic. Tricky access and inconsistency usually send surfers elsewhere.
Yes. Kalama Park and the Cove have gentle, consistent beginner waves. They’re also the most crowded spots on Maui, so go early if you’re surfing on your own.
Early morning, before the surf schools arrive around 8am.
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.
Our office is in Kihei, and we teach at Ukumehame, about 25 minutes away, for a less crowded lesson.
We teach every lesson at Ukumehame on Maui’s west side, about 25 minutes from Kihei and 15 from Lahaina. It has the same gentle beginner waves as Kihei’s breaks, with far fewer people in the water, so each student gets more waves and an instructor focused only on their group.
