Honolulu Kite School

I did my first kiteboarding lesson with Maui last week and it exceeding my expectations. Maui brought me to a great spot where he taught me to launch and fly the kite, drag my body, and get used to the kite. From there, we worked on doing power strokes and getting up on the board. By using a boat in the lessons Maui could help me relaunch the kite, follow me, and give me live pointers. I can't imagine a better way to facilitate the learning process. Thanks, Maui!

I've taken lessons with a few instructors in Oahu for kitesurfing so I can say with full confidence that this is by far the best one on the island. I'm dead serious - just go with Maui.Here are a few reasons why:1. He has a boat. That means instead of losing your board in the water and spending precious time having to body drag and locate your board, he actually just brings it back to you. For me, it meant I was able to have "many shots on goal", giving me a lot of opportunity to try to get up on the board during the water start. Not to mention, you can get immediate feedback from him. Compare that to other instructors where you literally aren't getting any feedback (very few instructors have two-way radio headsets in Oahu) until you get back to the beach.2. He takes you to a location where it's just you and the calm flat water. Most kitesurfing schools will have you at Kailua beach. However, it's a crowded beach with a small launch area and when the wind is good, the waves are choppy and there's a bunch of other kitersurfers, windsurfer out there. For a beginner like myself, that's stressful. 3. He's calm and patient. This is more of a personal learning style but there's already so much to think about when you are on the water (flying the kite, grabbing the board, getting your feet in situated correctly, starting to do the power stroke all while trying to incorporate the feedback you just got from a failed attempt) so it was made much easier for me when you didn't have someone who would just tense you up from his demeanor.

Maui came recommended as the best kite teacher on the islands and after my lessons with him, I can see why he sends all of his students away as competent and happy kiters. His ability to translate your route of improvement into natural language cut my learning curve way down. He anticipated where I was going to be and was right there with a smile, backhanded compliment (to keep me humble), and a tip for the next run which helped me to progress after each run. Next time, I'll leave my sandwich at home and enjoy the full offering at the luau. Bring water socks, Maui wears size 11.

I took 3 days of lessons with Maui. The price was fair, the equipment was solid, and he was a good instructor. Since he was on a boat, he was able to follow me around and help me out with re-launching the kite when I was out in the open water. His instructional style focused a lot on trying to make me self-sufficient, which gave me the confidence I needed to move forward with learning in a more independent way. By the 2nd day, I was able to water start and ride the board for a short time before falling. By the end of the 3rd day, I was able to go on rides of 30 seconds or more. I felt like I had some great progression and I'll be able to continue working towards being a better rider. Throughout the lessons, Maui was very friendly, encouraging, and nice to talk to. He also was flexible with our lesson dates and helped me pick days based on the wind forecast that were the most beneficial for having a good day of riding. I strongly recommend him!

If you want to learn to kiteboard, this is the place to go! Maui (the instructor) is awesome. He's friendly, funny, and very well educated. The best part is he'll take you out with an escort boat so you don't have to waste time walking up the beach. You'll ride/body surf for miles then get in the boat and ride up to the sand bar again. I can't recommend this place enough, if you want to learn to kitesurf Maui gets my full recommendation!

All the other reviews already say it all. I can only corroborate that Maui is an amazing instructor, and the location that he takes you to is pretty much perfect.

Maui is an excellent teacher and while we were only able to do one lesson I'm really glad I did it. Maui takes you to an amazing spot that is perfect for learning. We went over the basics and then got to flying the kite. Maui was quick to correct exactly what I was doing wrong and helped me fix it immediately. After I had gotten proficient enough we got in the water. Maui is able to follow you in the boat and get you right back to learning. I can't imagine trying to learn in a group setting or just off the ground like some other places. I was able to keep focused on getting better. I never felt frustrated and Maui's cool attitude helped keep it fun while still being challenging. It's definitely a lot to learn but Maui got me up and riding just before the first lesson ended. I booked three lessons but the wind was too strong for the last two. Maui kept in contact the night before and the morning of to let me know the conditions weren't good for a lesson and that we would try again the next day. Unfortunately that day had even stronger winds. I appreciated that Maui made sure I was going to get the most out of the lessons instead of just going forward and struggling instead of learning.

Fantastic day on the water with Maui! He is a great teacher and I feel much more confident as a beginner. Having him follow in the boat and helping me relaunch the kite was reassuring and saved me from getting frustrated. I highly recommend lessons from Honolulu Kiteboarding. Also note that I'm pretty sore from the first day. So, I'd recommend having a rest day between lessons.

Very disappointed in Maui Owens and his poorly run company, weak teaching and garbage equipment. He was more expensive than other schools and there was nothing to show for it. Maui spend a good portion of the lesson time trying to get the tiny engine on his little boat to work. When it did work it was so slow that it took forever to get to the location he wanted to start at (this was all on the clock). That was a huge time waster, that I was paying for. He really gave minimal instruction and when advise was given, it was difficult or impossible to hear because he was in his slow moving boat so far away. If I got into trouble he would have been of no value.Finally, due to weather he cut the lesson short (understandable). I wanted to get the rest of the lesson from him the next day but he said he couldn't do it for 2 days due to expected weather (again, understandable). I was instructed to text him the day before so I could go finish the lesson. This is what really pissed me off - I texted as instructed, when I was instructed to do so and Maui had booked other lessons in my place (for the full price) instead of completing my lessons. That was just bad faith. In the end I booked another lesson with a different company and they turned out to be so much better than Honolulu Kite School. I will not be using this company again and I would recommend spending your money for lessons some where else. Pretty much anyone else will be cheaper and better. Also, his line about how much better learning from a boat is compared to other methods is wrong, he just needs the boat because his "secret" location is so poor and the shore line is so bad.

I have been enjoying my lessons with Maui of Honolulu Kite School. The spot that he teaches is perfect and not crowded with other kiteboarders. I also feel very safe with him in a boat providing me with instructions vs. a walkie talkie system. He can quickly attend to my needs while I am in the water. He has also been very patient with me and has figured out various ways to help learn how to kiteboard.