Maui advice needed

[stvandev]

Wife and I are headed to Maui in mid March, our first time to HI.  Hoping to do some SUP surfing while there.  I race a bunch but I'm a beginner surfer.  Trying to figure out where we should stay on the island. Ideal setup would be somewhere I could get out to surf in the morning and then spend the rest of the day hanging with my wife. Also looking for a SUP friendly break that would be good for my surf skills. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[stvandev]

Anyone? Just looking for some advice.  Thanks.

[surfcowboy]

I noticed your sig. Aren't the Focus guys over there? I'm sure they could give you some local knowledge. If none of the guys pipe up on here, just search "maui" on here and you'll see tons of info. Cardiff Sweeper just went I think and there's a lot of info in his thread.

#1 thought, get a guide. Maui's got some crazy waves and some pretty localized breaks. Get a beginner lesson and I'll bet you can surf the spot they take you to with no issues.

Contact the Schweitzers (their service is mentioned on here too) and they could give you all the info you needed and maybe even point you at a vacation rental.

[NEplay]

If you scroll back a few pages there was a recent thread on this although the poster staying on the south side. I was there two years ago and was a rank beginner at the time and took lesson with Maria Souza and she was awesome. As an aside the road biking is straight up awesome out of Paia.

[headmount]

March is still a time of year when north swells can be significant so staying either somewhere along the coast from Kaanapali to Kapalua on the NW side of West Maui or somewhere along the north shore of central Maui.  Central Maui will pick up more swell but West Maui will have better shape when it does break over there.  West Maui contrasts to Central Maui where surf gets blown out and wind is king by March... which is a good thing  if you want to downwind paddle (I highly recommend doing this)  March can be the highest velocity wind speeds of the year.  

The down side of downwinding is that it's about a two to three hour affair IF you go at a reasonable rate on the water.  This includes the shuttling involved.  So this might not work for time spent with wife.

Now there are few and far between south swells nearer to most of the visitor areas (Wailea and Kaanapali), which are also located in the south and SW parts of the island (weather is best in those areas=less wind).  Southside surf is usually in the ankle to waist high category when it comes.  

Hope you enjoy you're time here.

[supdiscobay]

We have access to a condo in Kihei, and in March that side of the island won't be getting much surf.  For surfing you can't beat Hookipa on the north shore, or Kanaha, where if the winds aren;t blowing, hard, you can get some good SUS in. 
We went last may and had a fun time surfing and SUS at the cove in Kihei, which was perfect for my wife.  In may the winds on the north side were pretty consistent.  We also hit some of the spots Headmount was talking about.  My son and I got in touch with HM and did couple of Maliko runs with him.  If you have the time take an afternoon or two and do the ultimate downwinder.  HM was great and really made it fun and safe.  Your wife can hang out Kanaha beach park, while you take about an hour or two. Worked great for my wife.  She got to read in the sun and we got to paddle.
Have Fun!

[stvandev]

Thanks for the insight guys. The Focus guys are mostly in CA but have spent plenty of time on Maui, I've asked them as well. Sounding like nw might be the best bet.  I'd love to get a Maliko run or two in while we're there, warm water down winding would be so nice instead of the neoprene layers in the Puget Sound. One last question, how are the beach in the nw for just hanging out with my wife? Thanks again.

[Weasels wake]

Mostly clean, don't step on anything dark, but it's mostly light sand.
North Napili Bay and Kapalua Bay (right next door) have snorkling that she'd love.
There's public parking right between the two.

[PonoBill]

You didn't get many responses because it's a topic that has been covered a LOT. You'll find a lot of good info if you do a search.

[maui wave warrior]

I would not recommend Hookipa for SUS unless you have advanced skills, local knowledge of the area, and want to take your chances with the prone crowds that populate the area. The wave breaks really hard even on small days and can put even the expert into situations that are compromising. While lanes is an alternative I still consider it expert only on most winter days. Just a lot of water moving around. Other Maui places offer a much better and safer experience especially if your not use to our conditions.  March is usually a very windy time so SUS will probably be limited. Downwinder will more than likely be the call for SU.

[PonoBill]

Not to mention that Lanes has some handy overhanging reef edges you can get shoved under and hook up your leash. A pucker moment for sure.