I'm going to go to Maui and I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations on gear rental shops, best beaches and anything else that would make my short trip worthwhile.

Hey, I posted a little blurb about my trip to Maui in December here:

http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=777

I was happy with renting from Second Wind, but look into ways to get discounts there or elsewhere. Usually your car rental place or hotel will be able to get you a deal. Most of the rental places are within a couple of blocks on the strip in Kahului about 5 minutes from Kanaha which is probably where you will sail. I hope the wind gods smile on you as they did on me!

Kiting or windsurfing?

For windsurfing, Kanaha is a good bet to get into the groove of Maui sailing. Most beginner/intermediate/advanced sailors get their first taste of Maui here. You can either sail flat water on the inside and do some freestyle and slalom, or you can venture a little further out into the waves. Kanaha offers great facilities for parking, showers, grass rigging (look out for those nasty thorns) and good spectating (non windsurfing friends/family can find a spot that won't blow sand into their teeth). When Ho'okipa is closing out, kanaha will be really big and you'll see more experts ripping up the upper reef. Kanaha is nice because of it's close proximity to Kahalui's windsurfing shops, so if you need a smaller or bigger board/sail it will only take a short amount of time to zip over and back again. One key tip for Maui sailing is to kick near the water surface when waterstarting to avoid tearing your feet open on the shallow coral. This is very important! Or wear booties. But c'mon! This is MAUI! One of the few pleasures of windsurfing and kiting that we experience less of here is sailing barefoot.

Looking downwind from Kanaha you can see kitesurfers tearing up Kitebeach. This is a kitesurfing only playground. I don't kitesurf (um, yet) so I can't tell you much about the launch, quality of wind there etc. I think this is the main kitesurfing spot for all levels.

Upwind of Kanaha is Camp one, Baby Beach and Spreckelsville (or "Sprecks"). These beaches are for more experienced sailors and offer unreal jumping conditions and good waveriding. My personal favorite is Sprecks, as I can get my jumping and riding fix while my wife can sail on the inside in the flat water in full view. Sprecks also has a good area for getting out of the wind for non windsurfers. Baby Beach has a nasty, rocky launch, and I've never sailed Camp One.

Further up the coast past Paia is Ho'okipa. When it's big or crowded or both it's best to find a spot in the natural amphitheatre and watch the best sailors in the world go off in large, fast waves. On smaller days it's worth a sail but it 'll be crowded and aggressive.

Kihei on the South side of the island offers great speed and slalom sailing, but the wind is a bit offshore. I have only sailed there once and much preferred the North Shore. I'm sure others could point you to some other good sites I haven't mentioned as well.

For shops, I liked HiTech Maui (good service and nice guys), but most of the shops there are good. The gear in Maui is the latest stuff, so use the opportunity to try some new gear! Used gear or end of season gear is cheap there. Great deals are waiting for you if you are patient enough to dig around a little.

A must-do activity is to drive up Haleakala volcano on a clear day or pre-dawn for the sunrise. The ride up is filled with the scent of eucalyptus and pines. It's cold up at the summit and you'll feel like you somehow left Maui for an hour and arrived in another more temperate island. The sunrise is awe-inspiring.

For restaurants, Jacques in Paia is good, Kuau has a great organic eatery, Mama's Fish House just downwind of Ho'okipa and Lanes is UNBELIEVABLE but pricey (and worth it). There is a number of good Mexican places that come and go in Kahalui. Good food is not hard to find in Maui. It's all pricey, however, unless you decide to call Jack in the Box "fine dining" for you trip.

I find the vibe in Maui is always much better if you can stay aware of giving the locals room and a lot of respect. If you drive like you would in Vancouver you WILL be told to slow down by a very unstoked (and usually large) local.

Have a great trip! Maui is incredible for the sailing AND wealth of other activities available. Hope some of this helps.

Thanks for the input Bean and Winddoc. It all sounds fantastic and I can't wait for October to roll around. I know it's a ways off, but it will give me time to hone my gybing skills, or lack there of...

great reply winddoc ... pretty much covered it all

the only thing i might ad would be to stop and pinch yourself occasionaly and if you can swing it, plan your stay for as long as possible ... i was there only 10 days, and that isn't nearly enough

the sailling is outstanding ... everything you would expect and more ... non-stop wind, warm waves, etc. ... but what really stands out in my mind was the moment the airplane door cracked open and that warm, sweet, moist air filled the fuselage ahhhhh

hope you were on the ground at the time...

10 days!!!, I'll be lucky to be there for one week!

Maui's great although the wind can be hit and miss anytime before May/June/July. I've rented gear from several places and have had the best service from HiTech although they're all pretty good; lots of new gear and good advice. In terms of accomodation, a nice part about staying on the south shore (ie south kihei) is that it's drier; makes for nice early morning swims on the beach at kamaole beaches 1 and 2 and great sunsets from your lanai. Some good reasonable accomodation can be found at Kihei Akahi (pretty cheap for what you get) or next door at the Maui Banyan. Both are right across from the Kamaole Beach #2 which is a great swimming beach with showers and life guards. You can also get some good cheap accomodation in the upcountry above the North Shore but it is definitely wetter and the bugs come out at night.If you're learning to surf, one of the better learning beaches is the "Cove" next to Kalama beach park in central Kihei; real nice mushy waves and not too many coral heads. Wear water mocks!

Food (and gas and everything else in Maui) is very expensive. There is an awesome and reasonable crepe and curry house on Baldwin avenue in Paia (west side of street, half block up from the main hwy through town) and its always a good bargain to go to the deli in the food stores in Paia; make a picnic of it and hit the beach. Also, there are several Maui Taco outlets; the "Wet Dumps" burrito is awesome.

A previous post warned about thorns at Kanaha beach; WEAR GOOD THONGS OR RUNNERS FROM THE PARKING LOT TO THE BEACH! I had a thorn go through a 3/4 inch thong and partially into my foot; I can't imagine how much my sailing would have been wrecked if I hadn't had my good thongs on my feet.

Never, ever leave anything valuable in your car. It will be broken into in a second. Gear in your car at Kanaha is pretty safe, but anywhere else other beach parks or other parks is inviting theft; they are pros over there.

Lots of stuff to do if there isn't wind.
1. Go to Fleming to body surf, and stop in at the Honolua Store (just off the road at Kapulua golf club), a cool renovated old building in the pineapple fields, for cheap Hobo lunches either on the way to, or on the way back from Fleming
2. Golf at the municipal course in Wailuku; its cheap and half the holes run along the beach ($26 midweek)
3. Go for a hike; there is an awesome hike on the Waihee Ridge northwest of Wailuku on Hwy 340 (past the golf course); its about 2.5 miles along a knife edge ridge; you can hike it in runners or tiva's; lots of fences to keep you safe and a relatively easy hike, but the views are amazing and you can look over the edge to 1000ft gorges (same views as the expensive helicopter tours). Park at the scout camp 500m up from the main road.
4. Sunsets at Big Beach (Makena) out past Wailea (southeast of Kihei). You'll see whales breaching here most nights.
5. Stay out of the tourist traps like Lahaina or Kaanapali
6. Go to the aquarium in Malena. Its pricey but the underwater glass walkway is very cool.

Don't forget, NO WINDSURFING BEFORE 11AM. The waters are reserved for fishermen and surfers before this time and the wind doesn't usually come up till noonish anyways. Go surfing early when the water is smooth between sets then go for a good breakfast; there is no better life than an early morning surf followed by a good meal and strong coffee.