Catch Your First Maui Wave Where Kihei's Surf Schools Gather
A two-hour beginner surf lesson off Kihei's Kalama Park, with a beach briefing first and instructors beside you in the water.
South Pacific Kayaks & Outfitters runs this lesson at Kalama Park, the oceanfront park along South Kihei Road. Maui County's fiscal 2026 list of commercial ocean permits names eight surf schools for the park's north end, and KRS Investments, doing business as South Pacific Kayaks, is one of them.
A March 2025 reviewer wrote that their 12- and 14-year-old grandkids got up surfing with no problem and stayed at it the whole session. The same reviewer said both were worn out for the rest of the day.
This listing offers three lesson types: a group class of up to eight students, a semi-private lesson that needs at least two students, and a one-on-one private lesson.
Maui Surf Instruction 101 at Kalama Beach in KiheiGroup, semi-private or private · 2 hours · Kalama Park, Kiheiwww.viator.comSurf Etiquette on the Sand, Then an Instructor in the Water
The listing opens with instruction and surf etiquette on the beach, then the instructors head into the water with you. The operator's lesson page fills in the rest. You arrive 15 to 30 minutes early, pull on a rash guard and booties, and get a board sized to your height and weight. At the end you return the rash guard and booties and get snacks and drinks.
Reviewers from 2021 through October 2026 describe a photographer working the session and selling the pictures afterward. Neither the listing nor the operator's pages mention it, and the photos cost extra.
Crowds, Rocks and Sea Turtles Off Kalama Park
Kalama Park is a busy place to learn. A January 2024 reviewer said the hardest part of the lesson was steering clear of other surfers. A July 2022 reviewer called it the most crowded lineup they had ever seen and said the instructor still put them on waves right away. Reviewers in 2021 and October 2026 saw sea turtles while surfing.
The operator describes the bottom as foot-friendly. A March 2025 reviewer described the bottom as rocky. Keep the booties on. The county doesn't list a lifeguard tower at Kalama Park. Its South Maui towers are at Kamaole Beach Parks I, II and III.
Bring mineral sunscreen, meaning zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Since October 1, 2022, Maui County has banned the sale, distribution and use of non-mineral sunscreen without a prescription.
The Youngest Surfer Decides Which Lesson You Book
This listing sorts lessons by age. Anyone 12 and up can book the group, semi-private or private lesson. Children 5 to 11 need a semi-private or private lesson, and each semi-private lesson takes only one of them. A child aged 5 to 11 who can't swim or gets nervous in the water has to book private. The listing doesn't recommend the lesson for children 4 and under.
Booked through this listing, the group class starts at 12. The operator's own lesson page says 10, but the listing's age rules are the ones that apply here. The operator's FAQ says lessons happen in chest-deep water and asks that you be comfortable in it.
The group class takes up to eight students, and county permit rules call for at least one instructor for every six students.
Morning Lessons Six Days a Week, Never on Sunday
As of October 26, 2026, the listing sells 8:00 and 10:30 AM starts, Monday through Saturday. Its calendar is closed on Election Day, Nov. 3, and on Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. County rules keep commercial ocean lessons off county beach parks on Sundays and holidays. The operator's lesson page recommends the 8:00 start.
The group and private options describe themselves as Monday to Friday only, but the calendar also sells Saturdays. County permit rules end surf lessons at Kalama Park at noon on Saturdays, so a 10:30 Saturday start would run past the cutoff. On a Saturday, book the 8:00 lesson, or confirm the 10:30 with the operator before you pay.
The listing asks you to email or call the operator with a phone number you'll have on Maui, which is how you'll hear about weather or surf problems. In December 2025 and again on Oct. 22, 2026, a sewer pump failure flooded the north end of Kalama Park, and the county closed the affected area for cleanup.
📍 Meet in Kalama Park's ocean-side parking lot, across South Kihei Road from the 76 gas station, at 1900 South Kihei Road. The operator asks you to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your start and to use your hotel's restroom first. The county lists five sets of public restrooms and two outdoor showers in the park. Hotel pickup isn't included.
- Full refund when canceled at least 24 hours before the start.
- Gratuities and photos are extra.
After the lesson, rinse the salt off at the park's outdoor showers.