Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and all of the instructors are competent and patient professionals who are guaranteed to
get you up and riding. Group rates at Royal Hawaiian are $65/person, whereas Maui Wave
Riders is cheaper at $60/person and $50 for kids ages 8-12. For rentals, expect to pay $20
for three hours or $30 for the whole day.
Maui Surfer Girls
(808/214-0606,
www.mauisurfergirls.com
)
is the island's premier
female-only surf camp operator, although they also offer coed group lessons for $75/per-
son. Even though it's a few dollars more than in town, the lessons take place a few miles
south of town along a mellow stretch of beach which isn't as crowded as Breakwall. All-
inclusive one- and two-week classes are offered during select months of the year to em-
power teenaged girls through the sport of surfing.
SURFING ETIQUETTE
Surfing is a highlight of a visit to Lahaina, but it's important to have a basic grasp
of etiquette out in the water.
•
1. Always wear a leash.
Errant boards in the lineup can be dangerous. Nothing
ruins a session like having to swim after your board.
•
2. Stay out of the way of any surfer on a wave.
While this can sometimes be
difficult when paddling out from shore, the best thing to do is either stop paddling
so the surfer can navigate around you, or aim for a line behind the board so it ends
up passing in front of you.
•
3. Offer a simple “hello” and a smile to your fellow surfers.
It may or may not
be returned, but it's a way of signaling “friend” instead of “foe.”
•
4. At more advanced breaks, don't paddle directly to the peak of the wave.
Instead, wait for a while on the shoulder to let the local surfers have a turn. In
more advanced lineups such as Honolua Bay, the outer reef at Breakwall, or other
spots which aren't named in this guide, waves are earned instead of given, so it's
best to keep a low profile for a while. Share the waves. If you just got the last one,
don't turn back around and take the next one.
•
5. It's never alright to “drop in” on another surfer.
Although it might seem
like a free-for-all out there, surfing etiquette dictates that the surfer closest to the
breaking part of the wave has the right-of-way. To initiate a ride in front of this
surfer is the worst of surfing offenses and a surefire way to get “stink eye.” As a
