Check today's surf report for Maui with detailed swell, wind, and weather conditions. Drag the yellow time box to the right, and get the surf forecast for the upcoming five days.
Out of all the Hawaiian Islands, Maui suffers the most swell shadowing from neighboring islands, and therefore some coastlines are not worth checking in certain swell patterns.
The busy Kihei stretch encompasses many of the tourist resorts and hotels on the island and is usually either flat or small, which is perfect for visiting non-surfers to hit the many surf schools and catch some perfect beginner waves.
The Cove is the most popular spot, working best on W or S swells, with sandy peaks at the northern end of Kalama Park or a rocky left at the southern end.
Makena State Park offers the occasional ride at Little Beach and Big Beach, but it's rarely any good and better suited to bodyboard/bash.
Super fast, bordering on the close-out and super shallow, bordering on the insane can be applied to both Dumps and La Perouse, lefts over nasty, coral-studded lava on the SW corner of the island.
Picks up all S swell and is usually offshore all day, yet it is pretty fickle and hard to read.
Surf is at a premium from here all the way to Hana on the NE coast thanks to sheer cliffs, crazy volcanic rock formations, and swell shadowing from the Big Island.
Hana Bay is typical windward surf with some longer lefts sweeping towards the river mouth with big N or E swell and Kona winds.
Round the cornerback on the NE-facing coast are a couple of waves like Keanae, which gets some trade wind protection from the eastern headland and gives intermediates a chance to get some waves without much crowd pressure.
Similar story at the deeply indented Honomanu Bay where there can be some good lefts on the exposed side in light or Kona winds.
Lanai is a low-key island with few facilities, and getting around the entire island requires a 4x4.
Geology and positioning are not ideal with all N quadrant swells blocked by Molokai, E and SE blocked by Maui, leaving a little 15mile window of NE swell to arrive via the rough and windy Pailolo Channel.
This NE-facing coast is fringed by a reef, and river mouths have cut some channels, but the locals aren't too keen on visiting surfers sharing these fickle, secret spots.
The massive shipwreck in Kaiolohia is a focal point, and the broken reef line offers opportunities in certain conditions when the trades aren't blowing this whole coast to bits.
There is a good beach break for beginners at Lopa Beach, which is used by Lanai Surf School and Surf Safari because it compares to Waikiki with easy inside rollers over sand and a reefier outside section.
Summer S swells and anything from the W have clear water, but the plunging sea cliffs and lava skerries mean spots are few and far between on these exposed coasts.
Manele Bay is the easiest accessible south coast spot, right in front of the Four Seasons Resort. There's great snorkeling, diving, and whale watching by day, and then it's very quiet at night.
Molokai's southern shore and particularly the western tip are littered with white sand beaches, including Hawaii's longest at Papohaku.
The adjacent Kepuhi Bay is usually better, with a defined left and right at the northern end, but shorepound and rips can make it unsafe for swimmers.
The north coast of the island is protected by some of the tallest sea cliffs on the planet, below which a leper colony was established at Kalaupapa in 1866.
This flat tongue of land holds some good right-handers, but surfing is not encouraged.
The spectacular north coast cliffs plunge straight into the ocean, and aside from trekking into Wailea Beach and checking the black sand and boulder set-ups near the river mouth at Halawa Beach Park, there's no action until heading back into the Pailolo Channel opposite Maui.
The twisting Kamehameha V road hugs the coast near Sandy Beach, in full view of some quality lefts where the local crew charge and visitors need a healthy dose of aloha to partake.
In the main town of Kaunakakai, a decent S or W swell can bring some surf to the outer reef, and NE winds are offshore.
Strong rips, spooky, sharky line-ups, nasty lava reef bottoms, and some localism are all factors when surfing Molokai - tread slowly and carefully.
For more information, discover "The World Stormrider Surf Guide."