Hi,

Unexpectedly landed a trip to Hawaii early March and hoping to extend for a second week.

Are there any places that combine flat water windsurfing and suitability for wife / 2.5 yr old son that anyone can reccomend?

Appreciate any suggestions people have.

Hawaii has quite a few different Islands....

Which one are you going to?

Kailua Bay Oahu. Onshore winds, huge bay with sandy bottom, fairly shallow and lots of places to stay with a real Hawaiian village atmosphere including restaurants, shops etc. Lots of other stuff to do as well. Only 30 minutes from Honolulu across the mountains. Cooler too.

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ka43 said..

Kailua Bay Oahu. Onshore winds, huge bay with sandy bottom, fairly shallow and lots of places to stay with a real Hawaiian village atmosphere including restaurants, shops etc. Lots of other stuff to do as well. Only 30 minutes from Honolulu across the mountains. Cooler too.

Good to see a recommendation besides Maui. Kailua Bay looks like a windsurfing paradise. If I was heading to Hawaii I think I'd go there.

me too; we are heading to maui in a few weeks, i understand you cannot rent off the beach/by the hour etc.
is there an alternative to renting gear and having to cart it around, store it etc?
thanks.

Go straight to 2.30 for why Kailua bay is a great option.

This is one of my favourite scenes from any ws vid.

Thanks for all the replies. Kailua sounds ideal as our first week is in Waikiki.

Is it possible to rent of the beach or do i need to hire a car and throw on the roof?

Thanks again.

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fjdoug said..

me too; we are heading to maui in a few weeks, i understand you cannot rent off the beach/by the hour etc.
is there an alternative to renting gear and having to cart it around, store it etc?
thanks.

Doug

If you go to maui get your kit from Matt Pritchard. If you don't have a car he will bring the kit to you.

See pritchardwindsurfing.com/pw2020/

Also see my forum review of the aloha clinic at www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Maui-windsurfing-clinic-2013/

I'm going back in April and having four sessions with Matt one on one. Treat yourself. You deserve it!

Kailua doesn't really get waves, just some wind swell waves from the summertime trade winds. Wind comes straight onshore most of the time, sandy bottom where shallow, wind will always be lighter and less consistent than Maui. Great place for beginners, this is where windsurfing first really took off, beautiful beach. Just make sure Obama isn't on one of his constant vacations there because the security screws up the whole town. Rental gear may be a big problem as the one place renting stopped doing so. They do windsurf around Honolulu when it's really windy.
Maui has flat water and waves, lot's of rental choices and a near guarantee of wind. Shallow reef everywhere. The North shore of Maui has been called the windsurfing capitol of the world. I live on Kauai where there is hardly any wind.

As of July 2013 (last my visit) there were still 3 shops that offered rentals in Kailua. No rentals on the beach though - city ordinance banned that. Naish had the best rental gear - mostly current Naish gear. You'll need a rental car to pick it up as too far from the beach. There was one rental shop that was walking distance from the beach, can't remember the name.

I think it's be pretty hard to do Hawaii with a family and without a car. Try Kayak.com for cheap rentals. (They have an Android and iOS app as well). Last time I was in Honolulu they had some well priced pickup trucks listed. Can't remember the rental company though. The only issue is you have to catch a taxi to the pickup location as they are considered truck rentals. Picking up from the airport adds quite a bit of money.

If you need gear storage at Honolulu airport try these guys: www.alohaluggagedeliveryandstorage.com/
The owner is called Dr Bob. They have a warehouse near the airport and storage is pretty cheap. I used them twice and both times the service was fault less. The first time they stored two double board bags for 8 days while we did some island hopping. It was cheaper to store with them and do a quick return flight from Maui to pick up the gear than dragging it around with us. There is no luggage storage at the airport itself.

If you want a to do a fun thing with your kid try the Disney resort out on the West Coast of Oahu. It's a bit touristy but they do a disney character buffet breakfast and you can afterwards stay in the resort for the day and use their facilities. We did it with a 1 1/2 and 3 year old and they thought it was the best thing in the world. And besides who wouldn't love Mickey Mouse shaped pan cakes.

can anyone recommend somewhere in Hawaii running kids beginners lessons? I am thinking if they are with a bunch of other kids they may enjoy it more-plus it gives us more time out on the water while they are hopefully having fun.

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confused said..

Hi,

Unexpectedly landed a trip to Hawaii early March and hoping to extend for a second week.

Are there any places that combine flat water windsurfing and suitability for wife / 2.5 yr old son that anyone can reccomend?

Appreciate any suggestions people have.

Hi confused

So where did you go? Give us the low down. Warts and all