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Kitesurfers jumping in the trade winds off Kanaha Beach Park, MauiKites and sails filling the water off Kanaha with Kahului behindA kiter heads for the water at Kanaha under the West Maui MountainsA kiteboarder throws a trick over turquoise water at KanahaThe beach and shallow inside water at Kanaha Beach Park

Chapters / Hawaii Open, 1 of 1 remaining

Ride Kanaha, Maui, keep it open

Trade winds, warm water and an airport next door. Kanaha has drawn windsurfers and kiters for decades, and it stays open because riders keep to a tight set of rules.

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7 riders call this homeKite, WingKanaha Beach

Everything you need to know about Kanaha, Maui

Live conditions

Why riders love it

What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.

  • The trade winds blow from northeast to east, sideshore. Northeast is best.
  • Wind usually builds around 9 a.m., is near full strength after 11 a.m., and runs until about 6 p.m. The best months are May through October.
  • Inside the reef the water is calm and flat; the outer reef has waves, biggest from November to April.

Sources: Kiteforum

See the wind right now
Kites and sails filling the water off Kanaha with Kahului behind

Access and rules

Each site sets its own rules. The chapter publishes confirmed rules as each site answers in writing, and points riders to the official page before they go.

  • No sailboard may launch from Kanaha Beach Park before 11 a.m., and Swim Zones A, B and C are closed to vessels and sailboards.
  • Under FAA waiver conditions kites stay below 125 ft, stay out of the 2-mile by 1-mile corridor at the end of the runway, and never pass over people or property uninvolved in kiting.
  • Kiting is allowed only between official sunrise and sunset, and not when children are on the beach.

Sources: Hawaii Administrative Rules §13-256-130; Kiteforum

Help hold the launch
A kiter heads for the water at Kanaha under the West Maui Mountains

Ecology and habitat

Stewardship rotates across the city's spots, so riders are known as the people who look after them.

  • Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, in Kahului near the park, is vital habitat for three native waterbirds listed as state and federally endangered.
  • Most of the sanctuary is closed from April 1 to August 30 for nesting.

Sources: Hawaii DLNR

Fund stewardship here
A kiteboarder throws a trick over turquoise water at Kanaha

Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

  • Kanaha Beach Park is on the north shore of Maui at Kahului, beside Kahului Airport.
  • The kite area runs along the park toward Kite Beach; the beach is small, sandy and often crowded.
  • Parking is a short walk from the water.
  • A sharp reef lies between Kanaha and Kite Beach and is exposed at low tide.
  • Watch for beginners, swimmers and onlookers on the beach.
  • Maui Sports Unlimited and Maui Watersports run kite lessons at Kanaha.

Sources: Kiteforum; Kiteforum; To-Hawaii.com; Maui Sports Unlimited

Meet the riders
The beach and shallow inside water at Kanaha Beach Park

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Schools that teach on this water

Maui Sports UnlimitedMaui Watersports

Kanaha, Maui

Trade winds blow NE to E, sideshore, best from May through October.

Source: Kiteforum

Know the spot

Kanaha, Maui

Under the 11 o'clock rule, swimmers and anglers have the water before 11 a.m.

Source: Hawaii Administrative Rules §13-256-130; Kiteforum

Know the spot

Kanaha, Maui

Kites must stay below 125 ft near Kahului Airport.

Source: Kiteforum (FAA waiver conditions)

Know the spot

Why Kanaha, Maui needs a chapter

Kitesurfers jumping in the trade winds off Kanaha Beach Park, Maui
Hawaii

Maui's north shore catches the trade winds almost every afternoon, and Kanaha Beach Park sits right in them. Flat water inside the reef and waves outside have drawn windsurfers and kiters here for decades.

7riders call this home
2local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Kanaha, Maui chapter, World Wind Sports

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Kites and sails filling the water off Kanaha with Kahului behind
Hawaii

It is also one of the most rule-bound launches anywhere. The park is next to Kahului Airport, so kites must stay low and out of the runway corridor, swimmers and anglers have the water to themselves until 11 a.m., and the beach is often crowded with families. Access here depends on every rider following those rules every day.

7riders call this home
2local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Kanaha, Maui chapter, World Wind Sports

Back this chapter
A kiter heads for the water at Kanaha under the West Maui Mountains
Hawaii

A chapter gives Kanaha's riders one voice with the state and county, keeps visiting riders briefed and certified before they launch, and runs stewardship on the beach and around the protected wetlands nearby.

7riders call this home
2local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Kanaha, Maui chapter, World Wind Sports

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Photographer credits Back this chapter

The riders, schools and crew of Kanaha, Maui

Riders from Kahului, Paia, Wailuku, Kihei, Haiku, Makawao, Pukalani, Wailea, Lahaina and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board
MMaui Sports UnlimitedLocal school teaching on this waterMMaui WatersportsLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.MMaui Sports UnlimitedLocal school teaching on this waterMMaui WatersportsLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.
Jason ElderInstructor Level 1, MakawaoChristopher AdamsLevel 3K, LahainaSarah SiscoLevel 4Q, LahainaJennifer Chapman ChapmanLevel 4W, KiheiLena StrohekerLevel 4Q, HaikuMarianna ShkolnikLevel 3L, KiheiDDavid FulmerCertified rider, WaileaJason ElderInstructor Level 1, MakawaoChristopher AdamsLevel 3K, LahainaSarah SiscoLevel 4Q, LahainaJennifer Chapman ChapmanLevel 4W, KiheiLena StrohekerLevel 4Q, HaikuMarianna ShkolnikLevel 3L, KiheiDDavid FulmerCertified rider, Wailea
iSportsKite, WingiWind spotKanaha BeachiKnow thisKanaha Beach Park, Kahului, on Maui's north shore beside Kahului Airport.iKnow thisSideshore NE trades, building from about 9 a.m.; best May through October.iKnow thisWater before 11 a.m. belongs to swimmers and anglers; kites stay below 125 ft.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotKanaha BeachiKnow thisKanaha Beach Park, Kahului, on Maui's north shore beside Kahului Airport.iKnow thisSideshore NE trades, building from about 9 a.m.; best May through October.iKnow thisWater before 11 a.m. belongs to swimmers and anglers; kites stay below 125 ft.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Kanaha, Maui

Full forecast

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Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.

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