Windsurfing lessons

Windsurfing Lessons

HST Windsurfing & Kitesurfing School offers all levels of windsurfing lessons. Learn essential longboard skills, advance to waterstarting and shortboard sailing, finally learn to jibe, or even learn to loop!

Windsurfing lessons with HST

Since 1985, HST Windsurfing & Kitesurfing School has been setting the standard for quality windsurfing lessons on Maui. Instruction for all skill levels is available year-round. Learn to windsurf, or take your skills to the next level with Maui’s best instructors.

Longboard sailing: Level 1 & level 2

The skills learned in longboard sailing form the foundation for all windsurfing. Big boards and small sails will have you sailing out and back on your first lesson. Their stability lets you learn new skills quickly.

Level 1: Discover Windsurfing is an introductory lesson, where you learn how to steer the board, control power in the sail, and turn around. There are many skills to learn after your first lesson. Tacking, jibing, and sailing upwind are essential to proficient sailing, and level 2 advanced beginner (longboard) lessons provide the opportunity to learn and solidify them.

When you can stay upwind and easily sail back to your starting point, you’re ready to move on to shortboard sailing.

Shortboard sailing: Levels 3, 4, 5 & 6

Maui’s tradewinds provide the fun and challenge of shortboard sailing. These boards are smaller, faster, and more maneuverable than longboards, but they demand some new skills.

Too small and tippy to uphaul, waterstarting is the ticket to riding a shortboard. Level 3 waterstart lessons teach the basics and the finer points of efficient waterstarting, so you can use your energy for sailing.

Higher wind means more force in the sail, and higher board speed. Save your arm strength by learning to use your harness in level 4 shortboard sailing lessons. Level 4 lessons also teach you foot steering at planing speed, and an efficient stance so your body weight and position work for you instead of against you.

Learning to jibe a shortboard gives you substantially more sailing time. Level 5 jibe lessons break the skills down into a series of steps to be mastered in sequence. Level 6 covers almost any advanced skill you can imagine. Wave sailing and looping are two of the most requested.

Beginner & Advanced Beginner Lessons

Private lesson
Semi-Private (2 students/one instructor)
Your group of 3 students
$325 per person
$225 per person
$189 per person

Lessons are two hours. Equipment is included for Beginner and Advanced Beginner lessons.

Waterstart private lesson

$325 per person
Lessons are two hours. Equipment is available to rent from the shop

Waterstart semi-private lesson

$225 per person
Two students, one instructor. Lessons are two hours. Equipment is available to rent from the shop

Advanced private

Level 4 – Harness, footstraps, stance
Level 5 – Jibe
Level 6 – Wave sailing, freestyle, racing

$375 for 2 hours
Recommended for levels 4 and up

Rigged & ready package

$499
2 hour private lesson, gear delivered and rigged. Level 3 and up.

Privates are available for all levels, and recommended for Levels 3 and up.
Level 3 and up, equipment is not included, except for Rigged & Ready lesson.

Summer kids camps not offered at this time

Still have questions?

Fill out our convenient lesson contact form and we will help you customize your preferred activity!

Reservation and cancellation policies

All lessons are by appointment. We will take reservations the day of the lesson or up to a year in advance. All lessons are subject to weather conditions, of course. If the weather is not suitable for your lesson, it will be postponed until conditions are right for your lesson. There is no charge for lessons canceled due to bad weather. Reservations are recommended, especially if you request a specific instructor.

To make a reservation we will ask for credit card details (number, expiration date and security code) to confirm your instructor's time. We generally do not charge at the time of reservation because all lessons are subject to weather. Please provide 48 hours to cancel or change for any reason to avoid a late cancel charge. Late cancels are subject to full charge unless we can rebook the instructor's time. Of course if the weather doesn't cooperate, and we are forced to cancel, then there is no charge to you for any lesson time that we cannot deliver.

Prepare or review with a video

Our instructional videos are the perfect way to reinforce what you learn in lessons, and give you the knowledge you need to try a new skill or move on to the next level.

Windsurfing at Kanaha

The sailing at Kanaha Beach Park is world-class. Light wind is typical for the morning hours (which is why we schedule our entry-level class at 9:00 AM), and by noon the wind is strong enough for shortboard sailing. Let’s go windsurfing!

Windsurfing lesson beach

The cove near the top right of this photo provides the ideal environment for longboard lessons, and there’s plenty of room for shortboard lessons and free sailing.

 

Still have questions?

Fill out our convenient lesson contact form and we will help you customize your preferred activity!

Reservation and cancellation policies

All lessons are by appointment. We will take reservations the day of the lesson or up to a year in advance. All lessons are subject to weather conditions, of course. If the weather is not suitable for your lesson, it will be postponed until conditions are right for your lesson. There is no charge for lessons canceled due to bad weather. Reservations are recommended, especially if you request a specific instructor.

To make a reservation we will ask for credit card details (number, expiration date and security code) to confirm your instructor's time. We generally do not charge at the time of reservation because all lessons are subject to weather. Please provide 48 hours to cancel or change for any reason to avoid a late cancel charge. Late cancels are subject to full charge unless we can rebook the instructor's time. Of course if the weather doesn't cooperate, and we are forced to cancel, then there is no charge to you for any lesson time that we cannot deliver.