Kauai South Shore - Poipu

Island of Kauai

Adventures on Water - Surfing

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Surf’s up all along the South Shore! The Po`ipu area offers numerous places to surf, as the waters of the South Shore are much calmer than the North Shore. During the winter months, the waves tend to be very calm, so first time surfers won’t be intimidated. In summer, the waters remain calm, with the occasional “south swell” coming on shore, but the waves are still pretty manageable for first-time surfers. Intermediate and advanced surfers will absolutely love the south swells. No matter what your level is, you will become addicted to surfing the world-class waves.

If you want to experience surfing on your own, the best spots are at Lawa`i Beach and a break called Lemon Drops.

Lawai Beach is home to the surf spot known as “Acid Drop.” It looks easy from shore but it’ll chop you up like “acid” once you get out there. It’s also home to two other popular surf breaks, PKs and Centers. The breaks here are pretty localized, so if you don’t know what you’re doing out on the water, you’re better off at Po`ipu Beach Park.

Board rentals are abundant along the beaches. A few good places to start for board rentals are Nukumoi Surf Company, 2100 Hoone Road Po`ipu, 808-742-8019, which rents soft boards for beginners at $5 per hour, $20 per day or $60 per week. Experienced surfers can rent fiberglass boards for $7.50 per hour, $30 per day or $80 per week.

There are plenty of places in the Po`ipu area that offer surf instruction. Po`ipu Beach Surf School, 808-652-9590, has private and group lessons available. The lessons are geared for beginners. They also rent boards. Kaua`i Surf School runs their operation through Nukumoi Surf Shop. They break up your two-hour lesson with a half-hour of instruction on land, then you get to spend the next hour in the water putting what you learned to use. The final half-hour is spent with more practice. Lessons are held throughout the day in Po`ipu and cost $60 for a two-hour group lesson. A two-hour private one-on-one lesson is also available for $100. Call for reservations at
808-651-6032 or 808-742-8019.

If you really want to build up your surfing skills, you can take the seven-day Kaua`i Surf Clinic. It’s meant for beginners and intermediate surfers, with each one-hour lesson building on what you learned the day before. You then practice in the water for the rest of the day. I could think of worse ways to spend a vacation. The clinics are held throughout the year. Call 808-651-6032 or 808-742-8019 for more information.

Perhaps the best known surf school is Margo Oberg Surfing School, Kapili Road, Po`ipu, 808-332-6100, 808-639-0708. Owned and operated by California native Margo Oberg, this school has been in operation since 1977. Margo is a former professional surfer and won the first of her seven Women’s World Surfing titles when she was only 15. A1½-hour group lesson starts at $60 per person. Two hour private lessons are $100.

Aloha Surf Lessons, 808-639-8614, is owned and operated by Kaua`i’s own professional surfer (one of Kaua`i’s many professional surfers), Chava Greenlee. They have twohour lessons. The first hour is instruction and the second hour is spent surfing on your own. Lessons are offered for beginners
(kids are more than welcome to surf) all the way up to experts. The two-hour lesson is $50 per person. Private lessons are also available.

Garden Island Surf School, Hoonani Road, Po`ipu, 808-652-4841, www.gardenislandsufschool.com, has two-hour lessons but here you spend 1½ hours with personalized instruction and a half-hour on your own. They specialize in teaching beginners how to surf, but do offer instruction for intermediate and advanced surfers. The beginner lesson is $75 per person.

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