Surfing was first described in 1768 when Captain James Cook sailed to Hawaii and was intrigued with the locals’ ability to ride a wave. Hundreds of years later, people around the world are still fascinated and we’re two of them! We wanted to catch our own waves so surfing lessons on Maui was at the top of our list of musts when we planned our visit to the island.
Maui is a great place for novices like us to learn how to surf because there is a beginner surf break just outside of Lahaina Harbor with consistently small waves. There is no reef, so falling off your surf board doesn’t injure anything…well, except your pride. A surf lesson is typically two hours (and believe us, that two hours will exhaust you!) and with the help of a great teacher, you’re almost guaranteed to ride at least one wave.
Our lesson actually began on the beach where we learned the proper technique for positioning yourself on your board, paddling, and then standing up. After a few minutes practicing, it was time to head into the water. We’d take turns paddling out along the breakwall to get into position. Our instructor would count the waves for us and when he spotted a good one, he’d wave and shout for us to paddle hard. It took a few times to get the timing down, but eventually we were standing up, though usually not for long.
There were a few falls and one crash I had with another surfer-in-training, but by the end of our lesson we were both successfully standing up and riding the waves in to the shore. And we had a ton of fun!
Know Before You Go
- There are a number of surf schools in Lahaina, We took semi-private lessons from the Nancy Emerson School of Surfing.
- Rash guards, surf socks, and boards are provided.
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Freya says
Those photos are so awesome, it’s really hot over here today and I’m sitting in my office but … I WANT TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW !
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Freya! Another great thing about surf lessons in Lahaina is there is a breakwall that you can walk out on and be almost right in the action. It’s the perfect spot for snapping photos.
Matthew Hirtes says
You certainly look more adept than I did when I tried to learn to surf. You’ve inspired me to look into signing up for some new lessons. Looks like it could be a summer of surf for me.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
The lessons definitely help and the instructor is key. We rented surf boards the next day and went back to the exact same spot. We didn’t do as well without an instructor spotting the best waves for us though. It’s much harder than it looks!
Annette says
This looks like much more fun than my failed attempt in Costa Rica! The key must have been actually taking a lesson 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
The key is definitely the lesson, Annette! No way would we have ever got the timing right without the help of our instructor.
Stef says
Awesome! You look good on the board 😉 I tried to surf in Australia as well, but I guess I didn’t look good at all 😉 but it was a lot of fun and I will definitely give it another try 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Stef! We of course only chose the most flattering of our photos to include in this post. Believe us, there are far more pictures in which we definitely do not look good on the boards. 😉
Heather says
You guys make it look so easy!!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks! We purposefully selected the photos in which we didn’t look totally foolish. 😉
Andrea says
I’ve only tried it once, in California, and I just couldn’t stand up. Need to try again sometime!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Surfing definitely isn’t easy! We had a ton of falls, but I guess with anything, it just takes a lot of practice.
Leah says
Every time I got to a place with good surfing, I think I might like to take lessons. I think I might now. Very cool. Y’all look so graceful!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Thanks, Leah! The pictures definitely make us appear more graceful than we actually were. It was still a good time though!
Ali says
Looks like you guys had a lot of fun surfing!
Jennifer Dombrowski says
We did! Now I’d like to give wind surfing and kite surfing a go!