We had the BEST experience with Maui Waveriders Kihei, and George completely made it unforgettable…read more From the start, George went above and beyond to make our lesson feel personal and tailored to us. It honestly felt like a private lesson. He took the time to understand our different skill levels and customized everything so we both felt comfortable, challenged, and successful. What stood out just as much as his skill as an instructor was how genuinely kind and respectful he was. As an LGBTQIA couple, we felt completely welcomed and at ease, which meant a lot and made the experience even more special. George is not only an incredible instructor, but someone who truly cares about making sure you have a great time and get full value out of your experience. We both walked away feeling confident, accomplished, and so happy we chose this company. If you're booking, ask for George. You won't regret it.

This review is for the "Maui Waveriders Lahaina" location. We had an 11AM lesson on 04/24/2026 near…read moreUkumehame Beach Park. Pros: 1. Instructor was at the location on time. 2. He brought rash guards. Cons: 1. Rocky beach with shallow wave break, your group will have to be careful to "fall shallow" off your board or you may get cut by the rocks/coral below. 2. Instructor was short on some needed gear (no water shoes for me in standard US Size 10). 3. Instructor was not the best at coaching/communicating, had a bad attitude at times (probably the biggest issue we had with this lesson). The Whole Picture: After signing up we received an automated email with the time and location of the surf lesson. Was surprised that it was actually 20 minutes south of Lahaina at a ROCKY ENTRY north of Ukumehame Beach Park. On 04/24/2026, the day of our 10AM surf lesson, we pulled off the highway next to the instructor's truck which had a cone on the hood of it. We did quick introductions and the instructor gave us rash guards and boards. He then asked us our shoe sizes as this location required water shoes given it was so rocky. Unfortunately, he only brought one pair of size 10 water shoes, and with two people in our group who wear size 10, I had to wear size 11 which was too big and made it hard to balance (not ideal when trying to surf). He then provided some basic surfing instructions on the beach and then had us follow him into the water. His vibe up until this point was just okay, not super positive, sort of just like he was just going through the motions, but at least he was calm - this changed once we started trying to catch our first waves. He didn't tell us to start to ride in any particular order, or for only one person to go at a time, so once we paddled out we all started trying to catch a wave the first time he said "here's a wave to go for" (we were about 20 feet apart from each other). We thought we did well when two of the three of us caught our first wave attempt and each had a nice safe ride, but the happy moment quickly ended when we paddled back out to have him yell at the two us "what are you guys doing?!? You can't take off so close to each other or close to me like that!!" He went on to say that we could potentially hit each other if we are too close, while this is potentially a fair critique to make as an instructor, its also something that he should have communicated to us before we even paddled out. The bad/tense situation could have been avoided if he had just instructed us properly in advance saying "now once we get out there I want you guys to only try a wave one at a time, or to be at least 50 feet apart", but he didn't. Also when we paddled back out he could have just coached us in a positive way saying "hey guys good job on your first wave, but next time go one at a time because you could potentially run into each other", but again he chose to yell and be snarky, not a great approach for an instructor. Basically in addition to more water shoes, our instructor needed a positive coaching reminder (remember your aloha brother)!

i was pleasantly surprised while visiting this rip curl to see the pretty good selection of high…read morequality swimwear, plus some really cute t-shirts. nothing much to say about the staff, we just left after looking around & seeing it was slightly overpriced! however, i think it's still worth the stop for the t-shirts & shorts

I was so excited when I found a RipCurl store at the shops in Wailea. I purchased 3 pairs of RIP…read moreCuRL shorts and 2 RipCurl teeshirts. I tried the shorts on and all were a great fit. I tried on one of the RipCurl tees, size XL, and it fit good, so I picked another XL teeshirt. I did not actually try it on because it was also an XL. When I got back to the condo in Kihei, I cut tags off and got them ready for wearing. The next morning, I put on the XL and it was too small. I tried on the other XL and it fit fine. I noticed a tear right away in the seem of the shirt that fit, so we took them back. The receipt/return policy clearly states that refund or exchanges are OK with receipt. When we tried to return them, Jessica and two other employees stated that the manager said they smell and the tags were removed, so they would not exchange or refund. We were confused about "smell", as my wife and I smelled them and they smelled like new store merchandise. We did not wash or wear them, and only tried them on. My wife asked to speak to district manager. The district manager reluctantly approved the exchange. RIP Curl is supposedly a reputable brand, but if they will not stand behind their products, we will not shop there again. WARNiNG to all Rip Curl shoppers at Wailea Shops... DONT SHOP here... Rip Curl does not care about repeat business, value of their product, and has ZERO business integrity. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere.

We booked through Viator and for two people ( my husband and I) was $216.00…read more Pros: very responsive information sent by text including pictures of where to meet. We found the spot easily and the van. Once we checked in, we filled out the waiver, fitted with a sun shirt and water shoes. We were also given a mesh bag to put our belongings in and this was put in their van. We were in a group of 6 people total and our guide was Mikey. Mikey went over the basics and had us practice on dry land and then we were off. It was only waist deep and most of the ocean floor was sand, with a few rocks, so the water shoes came in handy. Mikey found a wonderful area for us to ride waves on Kalama Beach and was very encouraging and positive. He'd tell you exactly what to do and when to do it to successfully surf. I am the least athletic person and I stood up on my first wave. Best of all, we saw a lot of turtles! I could have stayed all day and just enjoyed the turtles. Surfing is exhausting and I had a hysterectomy 6 months ago. When I wanted to just cheer people on, there was no pressure to get back out there. It was at my own pace. I really appreciated that. There is also a photographer to purchase pictures and we bought those as well for $120.00. $90.00 for 1 person and $120.00 for two. It will be 48 hours or so until those come in digitally. Gratuity isn't included, so we brought cash. If you need to, there is also a digital way to tip your instructor. If you use this company, ask for Mikey. He's a great teacher and very enthusiastic with his small group. Con: on the Viator website it lists "light refreshments", which wasn't offered. If I had to do it again, I'd skip Viator and book directly with the company. If you book directly with the company it's $88.00 per person.

Really positive experience. Went surfing with a family group of five, for most of whom it was the…read moresecond time attempting surfing. We arrived a little late (went to the wrong location further south), but we were accommodated regardless. Manu (Manuel) who hails from Argentina was our instructor. He was super friendly and encouraging, remembered all our names after asking only once, and was just genuinely a really nice person. He offered each person individual feedback, and we all managed to eventually glide our way along without falling at least once! Even the fellow taking the photos was friendly and encouraging, it really made the morning. For $20 per person, the photos are made available digitally; the quality of the pics is totally worth it, lots of great action shots. Would go again, was just starting to get a feel for it! Great way to spend two hours, at $90 per person. All equipment is included, including long sleeve rash guard shirts and full water booties. The latter are essential because the practice area is very shallow and rocky. My cousin and I also happened to get jellyfish stings, so just be aware to watch the surface of the water for them, especially around full moon time (we went day of the full moon). Don't worry, it was about as bad as stinging nettle and only lasted a few hours. It's also pretty atypical, my first time getting stung despite coming to Maui for years. Just do it! You'll have fun no matter what. All ages and sizes were out learning to surf that day. I enjoyed watching others gain skill and confidence, and hearing people cheer their friends on. Best day we've had so far this trip.

When the 4 teenage employees are busy giggling in the middle of the store and talking about the…read moreboys they're dating instead of asking customers if they need any help. 7/21/24

Amazing customer service! All the workers were so kind and helpful, truly a great shopping…read moreexperience!

Very helpful staff. Good prices on used equipment. Upgraded snorkel is well worth the money.read more

Juan was very helpful. It was my daughter's first time snorkeling and he went over every thing with…read moreher. He had maps of all the best beaches to snorkel at and posters for the fish she would see. We went to a nearby beach and she had a blast. She was so excited to be able to name them. Return the equipment was easy peasy. They have drop box for after hours. Just leave the receipt with the bag so they will know who it belongs to.

Employees need an attitude adjustment. The hotel should nip that in the bud as it is within their…read morehotel and effects their customers. I spent quite a bit of money in that shop and still felt like I was under surveillance. I wish I could have pulled a Julia Roberts - Huge Mistake - HUGE!!!

This bathing suit shop is fantastic! They are extremely helpful and know their stock very well. I…read morejust purchased 3 suits and a cover up. Donna was extremely helpful pulling suits for me that I would never have tried on, but I love them! You don't need to be a tiny person to shop here. They even have D cup suits here. Great place!

Booked on line for 2 day rental On arrival the staff said I…read moredon't want just take your $ The surf is to high to snorkel today we can modify the rental to 1 day and to come back tomorrow for the equipment Honest advice and great customer service Thanks

Second time renting from the Kihei location and had a great experience with Art (Arthur) helping us…read moreout. We picked up 4 adult snorkel sets and a floaty for my toddler. Art made sure to ask about our comfort levels with swimming and recommended my dad get a floatation device to aid with snorkeling as he doesn't consider himself a strong swimmer. He also made suggestions for snorkeling locations where we could see turtles and answered all of our other questions. The only thing we would do differently next time is to book online to get 50% off. We recommend Auntie Snorkel to any friends visiting Maui.

My kids had a great instructor. He made it so fun for them. Gave them plenty of tips on the beach…read morebefore they got in the water. They caught their first wave within minutes. They had a blast. Will definitely do this again on our next trip to Maui. Thanks Talvi!!

My friend took a surf lesson and had a great time. He said the instructor was super helpful and…read moreencouraged him to level up as he was already quite comfortable in the ocean waves. He came back glowing and exhausted.

Ideal location on Waikiki beach, right between two iconic resorts. The Aqualani staff are…read morededicated, most have been working as Beach Boys (person) for multiple years. You may feel a price but check the picture from my beach umbrella.

Megan - I hope I remembered her name correctly - at the Aqualani Beach & Ocean Recreation location…read morebeachside at Marriott's Maui Ocean Club in Lahaina was great. She was really cool and friendly. She gave us some helpful info and tips, including a small pamphlet, about Black Rock Beach: https://www.yelp.com/biz/black-rock-beach-lahaina. I also ended up renting some snorkel gear from her later for Black Rock. The snorkel set - mask, snorkel, and fins - cost a little under $30 for about 24 hours. I thought it was worth it. We saw a lot of beautiful, colorful, and interesting types of tropical fish, both off the coast in front of our resort (Marriott) and up at Black Rock. We saw lots of coral and swam with a green sea turtle too (that was the best part). The snorkel gear was high-quality. The goggles had been treated with an anti-fog / defog solution so they never fogged up. That was nice. Aqualani is a small chain with locations on Maui and Oahu (Waikiki). Most, if not all, of Aqualani's locations on Maui are at resorts and condos along Ka'anapali Beach on the west side of the island: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kaanapali-beach-lahaina. Along with the Marriott, they include the Sheraton, Westin, Honua, and Hyatt resorts. Since we were staying at the Marriott, I was able to have my rental charged to our room. In general, Aqualani is very useful and convenient to have around these beach resorts. In addition to offering snorkel gear and a knowledgeable staff, these stores sell and/or rent out various beach and pool items like sunscreen, sunglasses (Maui Jim), boogie boards, surfboards, pool floats, rafts, and kayaks. Some locations also offer umbrella, cabana, and gazebo rentals. Rentals are available by the hour, day, and/or week. So, you don't have to haul some of your beach/pool gear from home all the way to Hawaii. Thank you, Megan and Aqualani.

This surf school is amazing! The instructors are so amazing and encouraging! They push you to your…read morehighest limits! They show you and explain all the stuff you need to know to surf! The waves are amazing and are perfects for kids (and parents!!)!There was also a photographer who got the best photos of me and my family! The boards are also rash free which is amazing and they were so comfortable!I recommend this surf school a lot! I am very happy to support this small family owned surf school! Val is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had the best time at waves Surf school! My 7 year old daughter surfed for the first time and…read morethey did such a great job making it fun and comfortable for her! They also have a photographer which captured so many great pictures and videos of her! We were so happy we went back a second day for more lessons! Highly recommend this surf school! Also, we loved her surf instructor Sochi!