SOUTH MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 286

Half a mile up the highway when you're headed toward Lahaina is McGregor Point, a
right-hand pointbreak that's a poor man's Honolua Bay. Although McGregor's rarely gets
bigger than head-high, the spot can offer a long wave and is best surfed in the morning be-
fore the wind comes up. Parking for McGregor's is in a dirt lot on the road heading toward
the lighthouse. Be careful when pulling off the highway because it can be a sketchy turn.
To get down to the shoreline you have to clamber down a thin, steep trail, which can be
tough if you're surfing with a longboard. Only surf here if surfing is a regular hobby.
Rental Shops
The only rental shop for surfboards in Ma'alaea is Da Beach House (300 Ma'alaea Rd.,
808/986-8279, www.dabeachhousemaui.com , 10am-5:30pm daily) inside the Ma'alaea
Harbor Shops. Surfboards rent for $25/day or $75/week, and there are stand-up paddle-
boards for $40/day or $125/week. There are also boogie boards and beach chairs, and this
is a good place to pick up a board if you're planning on surfing some of the beginner breaks
on the road toward Lahaina. Since most of the boards are of the “soft top” variety which
cater to beginner surfers, however, there isn't anywhere within Ma'alaea itself that you
could ever hope to use one. There are usually DVDs playing inside which feature footage
from the legendary swell of 2005 when Freight Trains was the best it's ever been.
KIHEI
Surf Spots
The surf epicenter for all of Kihei is The Cove park, at the southern end of Kalama Park.
This is where all of the surf schools give lessons, and while the waves are gentle, the down-
side is that it can get ultra-crowded. On some days you'll swear you could walk on water
across all of the longboards crammed into the small area, but in the early morning hours
before all the surf schools show up, this is still a fun (albeit small) wave. If your goal in
Hawai'i is to try surfing for the first time, then this is where you'd come.
If the Cove gets too crowded and you've progressed past the beginner stage, just to the
north is a peak known as Kalama Bowls that you could almost reach by paddling from the
Cove. Some people just paddle out from the rocks in front of Kalama Park, and while the
wave is better here (and less crowded), the water can get murky and it's more exposed to
the wind.
For intermediate or advanced level surfers, the best wave in Kihei is an A-frame that
breaks next to the Kihei Boat Ramp. This is a fickle wave that needs a big southwest or
west swell to start working, and you need to be careful of the boat traffic coming in and