Hi!

We are heading to our condo on Maui in April. My 9 year old daughter wants to try surfing. Can anyone recommend a surf lesson provider that is good with kids?

Our condo is in the Kaanapali area, but we spend a few beach days in south Maui also, so either location would be fine.

Thank you!!

A couple of years ago my daughters took a lesson from Dustin with Maui Surfer Girls. She was great!

Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy is located in Lahaina (next to the banyan tree). That would be a good choice because they go out to the small beach area near the harbor. It is a good safe spot for beginners, especially kids.

Thank you both for the info! It looks like the price is the same for both places. Flamom, do you recall the water conditions (waves big/small)?

We met Dustin on a beach near Lahaina, I think to the south. The waves were not very big, but enough. I would say slow swells, not close together. Not as rough and choppy as the Atlantic coast of Florida, but more wave action than the Gulf coast. Both girls got up on the boards and were able to ride.

My husband and son took lessons from Goofy Foot Surfing http://www.goofyfootsurfschool.com/goofyframeset.html. They did a really great job and have a professional photographer photograph the end results. I thought it was too expensive, so didn't sign up for it. Then the photographer took pictures of my son by mistake and they were amazing, so I bought them. Definitely worth the extra money.

My daughter also took a lesson with Goofy Foot in Lahaina. My wife & I watched and thought them to be thorough in their preparation before even getting into the water.
The waves in Lahaina seemed perfect for teaching beginners. Just big enough to get a board going, yet not big enough to intimidate.

We also used Goofy Foot for our surf lessons and while I thought they did a good job, it was incredibly crowded in the area where the lessons took place. It was really hard to try and manevour the boards around all the other people. There were several surfing schools and at least 50 people so I would try and find a company that gave their lessons in a less crowded area. (If one exists...) We were there the second week of June so that might be a factor as well...

I agree with mollmatt regarding the crowd.

The 14 year old daughter of friends took lessons from Goofy Foot & loved it. I also know someone who used Surf Dog Maui & enjoyed it. If you check www.barefoothawaii.com, they have info & discounts on several companies for surging lessons.