Maui Surf Guide
Escape the rat race, go to Maui. It may be the only place in the world where you can surf the biggest waves of you life at Jaws, then score a perfect right pointbreak like Honolua, and then score a racing left reef like Ma’alaea Harbor. Maybe that’s why surfers from the island keep showing up on the international surf scene. From hard-chargers like Ian Walsh and Kai Lenny, to rippers like Dusty Payne and Clay Marzo, to all the underground guys at Hookipa and over in the Hana zone, Maui’s a fitting breeding ground for talent. It’s not the easiest place in the world to be a surfer, but if you put your time in, study the ocean and its myriad moods, there are definitely plenty of diamonds in the rough.
Honolua Bay
Honolua Bay is not only the best wave in Maui, it is one of the best in the world. The northwestern coast of Maui is riddled with bays and crags that can produce all variety of great surf during the winter months, when the North Pacific is busy churning out storm after storm. But as any surfer knows, even a single degree change in the angle of a coastline can make the difference between a good wave and a perfect wave. Honolua Bay has just that magical angle, producing a perfect right-hander that can line-up flawlessly in a series of barrel and turn sections for the better part of a quarter mile.
Honokohau Bay
About three miles east of Maui’s crown jewel, Honolua Bay, is Honokohau Bay, a deep crescent divot in the heart of the island’s lush north coast. Not quite the generator of perfection that Honolua is during peak winter months, Honokohau does offer both rights and lefts, as well as a mellower vibe in the lineup. The right is the higher quality choice; it can get powerful with fairly long walls and have the potential to peel all the way to the cobble shore, but more often than not, it is broken apart by difficult fat-then-fast sections. The left is usually not as good as the right, though on a North-West swell it will line up better. Beware of exposed rocks in the lineup, especially at the right-hander.
Kahalui
Located on the north-central coast, is Kahului, Maui’s largest city and most important hub, home to the island’s main airport and largest harbor. While hardly the desolate, picturesque surf spot that hopeful Hawaiian travelers may imagine, Kahului Harbor is a worthy — and super fun (for the more experienced surfer) — place to get your feet wet. There are several good breaks inside and outside of the harbor, which all light up on a solid North swell, but the best wave is the right on the west side of the harbor. Large swells push through the wide entrance with energy refracting out of the deeper channel and crossing up with swell energy bouncing off the jetty, creating a powerful roll-in wedge over shallow water. This mini Box-like wedge is a favorite of bodyboarders and surfers adept at negotiating abrupt steps and chucking barrels. There is a left off of this same peak but it dumps into the deep water of the channel, thus not offering much. As you can imagine, Kahului Harbor is often crowded and polluted. On top of that, watch out for urchins, rocks, tricky rip currents, and the occasional shark. Despite the many obstacles, a Kahului Harbor right tube is an experience worth attempting.
Lahaina Harbor
Because of island shadow from Moloka’i, Lana’i and Kaho’olawe, searching for solid surf on the west coast of Maui can be an exercise in patience. But through a mix of manmade influence and geographical luck, Lahaina Harbor defies the norm all year long. On solid summer south swells, the northern end of the breakwater offers up long, grinding lefts that stand up and barrel. In the winter, north swells shoot the gap between Maui and Moloka’i and hit the southern end of the breakwater, forming a right-hander that is a mirror image of the left. As you can imagine, Lahaina Harbor is no secret — it attracts a crowd, and often a talented one — especially on small days. (Bigger swells should be left for more experienced surfers, as both the left and right are fast and break across shallow stretches of reef.)
Olowalu
About six miles south of Lahaina Harbor you’ll find the jetty spit at Olowalu, where a left peels off in the summer months, when south swells sneak between Lana’i and Kaho’olawe. Elsewhere nearby there are right and left peaks to choose from, all in the small-to-medium sized range. Olowalu is a small, rural town, so the narrow beaches are quiet and idyllic. As a visitor, be mindful of the local atmosphere.