Need recs for SUP-friendly rentals in Hawaii this summer

[Bulky]

Thanks, all!

I'm thinking we'll do a week in Maui and try to tack on a few days in Oahu to see Pearl Harbor, etc.

Got a lead on a place in Puamana that looks like we can walk out to the water from.  The wife likes to be near shopping etc, so I figure being near Lahaina is a good call. Any opinions?

Robert--Blue Planet is a no-brainer for me as far as equipment on Oahu.  I'll be in touch.  Thanks for the lead, bts!

Any downwind runs that time of year that wouldn't kill me?

[PonoBill]

If you're a foodie, Oahu is the place to go.

Yes and no. Used to be a bit more true, but Maui has taken big jumps steps forward. In some ways it reminds me of Portland vs. Seattle. Used to be that Seattle was hands down, a better foodie town. But now Portland has kicked their butt and is racing off into the far distance. I have some friends who are New York food snobs, who were stunned by a trip to Portland. Maui hasn't progressed that far, but they're gathering steam. 

The Culinary academy on Maui keeps turning out amazing young chefs and wait staff, Diane and I go to a lot of their special events, like the Aipono Wine dinners http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/Dining-Events/    and the annual gala   http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/March-April-2014/Aipono-Awards-2014/, sponsored by Maui No Ka Oi magazine. You can also have lunch, and sometimes dinner at the Culinary academy--a low price for an outstanding meal, with great service.

With the increased availability of fine chefs, who go off into the big world but find their way back to Maui, there are a lot of great food experiences here. And the Farmers markets and the huge growth in local high-quality food farming means that the bar is rising everywhere. You cannot find a better head of Romaine or butter lettuce than the hydroponically grown, organic Waipoli Greens grown in Kula. Off the charts, and you can buy it in a three pack at Costco here. You can eat it out of the bag with nothing on it, it's that good. 

The intensely local restaurants like Colleens are sometimes stunning with their quality. You can stick with the standbys on the menu and expect decent food, or go for the special and sometimes be knocked out of your socks.

It's not just Mamas that has great fish these days. Even little sleepy Haiku has two excellent and three ok restaurants. Nuka for sushi (come early, on a weekday or at a weird time if you want to get in without waiting), and Colleens. Sounds weird, but Colleens has fine Pizza too--even by the slice, so the kids will be happy. Its a good sized restaurant, the crowd is grubby locals, we eat there probably once a week and love it. Kona beer on tap and decent wines.

Lots of great restaurants, some reasonably priced (for Hawaii)

[JBinGulfShores]

I picked this is you go to Ohau.
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p981214#map

[covesurfer]

Thanks, all!

I'm thinking we'll do a week in Maui and try to tack on a few days in Oahu to see Pearl Harbor, etc.

Got a lead on a place in Puamana that looks like we can walk out to the water from.  The wife likes to be near shopping etc, so I figure being near Lahaina is a good call. Any opinions?

Robert--Blue Planet is a no-brainer for me as far as equipment on Oahu.  I'll be in touch.  Thanks for the lead, bts!

Any downwind runs that time of year that wouldn't kill me?

Puamana is a good call. Watch your feet surfing there because it's shallow but it can be a great spot. It's also within easy striking distance of other west-side breaks. Swell can really be hit or miss in summer so always have Plan B and maybe C.

On the north side, which is a bit of a trek from Puamana, in summer, it is typically flat as far as groundswell is concerned. The windswell can get fairly healthy though but it's running the same direction you're going. So, doing a Maliko run, or better yet, a couple of them so you can actually get used to the conditions, shouldn't be out of consideration.

If you want a fantastic downwind coaching session from Jeremy Riggs, that is a fine way to break into doing a run. I think Jeremy can also provide you with a board. Check out Paddle with Riggs on-line. Ding King, up in Haliimaille rents SIC boards although availability in summer, which is peak downwind season, could be uncertain.

Lastly, the south side run from North Kihei down the coast, sometimes all the way to Makena if the wind's right, can be really good, even in Summer. Even there, it's best to go with a guide. Mr. Headmount offers guiding I think. Anyway, just a few tidbits....

[stoneaxe]

I think Puamana means "fall flat or end up with a foot full of urchin spines". Nice spot though, always a very laid back vibe when I've been there. Always thought it seemed like a good spot to rent.

[Bulky]

I think Puamana means "fall flat or end up with a foot full of urchin spines". Nice spot though, always a very laid back vibe when I've been there. Always thought it seemed like a good spot to rent.

 

You don't know how close that hits to home.  23yrs ago during the first sunset of our honeymoon, my wife and I scrambled down to the water at Kihei.  I plow in ahead and, bobbing up and down, call back to her "Come on in!  The water's great!"  She takes her first step into calf-deep water and screams.  He foot comes up out of the water with about 40 urchin spines sticking out.  On the way back in I look down over the ground I just covered and can't figure out how I got past the minefield of thousands unscathed.

Needless to say, we spent about 3 hours at urgent care while a really irritated doctor dug into her foot and sent us off with a "don't go in the water for 2 weeks".  And that wasn't the worst medical nightmare of our honeymoon.   

Hawaii owes us.  Big time.  But we'll have booties on from the time we board in LA...

[KiwiSupGreg]

I'm kinda scared to ask what the other medical misadventures could have been!!


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[PonoBill]

Urchins are an issue, but not a big one. Keep your feet off the bottom. Fall flat, be one with the surface. Bad for the coral for people to be stomping on it anyway.

Puamana is really a great spot, I assume you're talking about the condos, not the park. The surfing in front of the condos can be amazing. With a little four foot wave it's one of the most fun breaks around, and there's generally no one there. All the folks are up at the park, dropping in on each other.

One of my favorite things to do is to stick my visa in my pocket, paddle out at Puamana park, surf there a little, head east and surf all the breaks to Launiupoko -- a dozen of them, then cruise back to Pua, then continue down to Lahina, coming through the reef where you see the angled pole. It's tricky. There's some great locals breaks along the barrier reef. Watch how the locals surf them to see how to do it. You won't find tourists--if you screw up you're surfing in an inch of water over sharp reef. Figure it out and you've got a nearly-private surf sport that just rocks. Don't listen to Covesurfer--when he reads this he's going to tell you horror stories about me trying to kill him.

So once you pass through the reef you pick your way down to the beach in where the surf schools put in (stay close to the sand, further out the water gets thin). You'll find Pacific O--a nice restaurant. They serve great food to poorly dressed surfers--at least they've never tossed me out. After lunch, paddle on to Lahina Breakwall, which swarms with surfschools on the inside, but has a nice fast outside break that's double the size of anything around it. Then back down the outside of the reef, poaching waves at every break, until you get back to Puamana.

[covesurfer]

It's tricky. There's some great locals breaks along the barrier reef. Watch how the locals surf them to see how to do it. You won't find tourists--if you screw up you're surfing in an inch of water over sharp reef. Figure it out and you've got a nearly-private surf sport that just rocks. Don't listen to Covesurfer--when he reads this he's going to tell you horror stories about me trying to kill him.

One late Winter day last year, PB and I did exactly what he's describing, that's why he's baiting me. We paddled up towards Lahaina and rode the breaks along the way. The reef off Lahaina is ultra shallow and tricky to navigate unless you know where you are, which PB clearly did. If you have never been through the pass in the reef, I'd recommend following someone that has. It's not very wide.

Gotta say, breakwall is definitely my favorite wave up there. That day we were there, it had a nice consistent peak that allowed rights or lefts. It's not a long ride because the inside is super shallow but the wave is sweet. Pay attention to the water depth. The bottom is like razor blades covered in pincushions (wana). 

[APPST_Paddle]

How's the west coast of Maui? We stayed in Kapalua for our honeymoon, and I wasn't into SUP, just kiting so I kited over at Kanaha.

Looking at going back at some point in the future, maybe 5 days in Maui, 5 in Kauai, any suggestions around Lahaina? Looking for a nice, friendly break.