Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy
Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy
5
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
About
Expert instructors and professional surfers teach you to ride a wave on your first lesson! We accept all skill levels from first time non swimming surfers to intermediate and advanced surfers looking to improve their surfing or just looking for waves on Maui. Our NEW LOCATION is right near the beach we are surfing with great restaurants and bars near by! Please join us today by checking out our website or give us a call for a ROYAL HAWAIIAN SURF ACADEMY experience! MAHALO NUI!
Lahaina, Hawaii
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
2,309 reviews
Excellent
2,184
Very good
88
Average
21
Poor
5
Terrible
11
Allison Y
2 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
The owners and instructors were awesome! We had a large group, including young kids, and they worked with us to make sure we could have the experience together while having the necessary number of instructors for safety. Our two littlest ones were excited but also very nervous prior to the lesson; however, the instructors instantly put them at ease. They were so good with them, going above and beyond (playing rock/paper/scissor/shoot on the surfboard between waves, for example) to keep them engaged and also distracted from potential nerves. They also did a great job scaling to all of our varying abilities. I can’t say enough things about this surf school and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone in Maui!
Written January 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
snate08
Madera, CA11 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
This experience was so fun ! I was pretty much dragged into this by my husband. We both had zero surfing experience so didn’t know what to expect. Plus I’m so glad plus I’m out of shape so I was obviously nervous - but I’m so glad I did it. The instructor made us feel comfortable and made sure everyone was successful in getting up at least a couple times. He told us what to do - when to paddle , when to stand etc .. Our group was small - 4 people and most of the time was spent out in the water actually attempting to surf . Each person got around 5 attempts. There was minimal time spent at the beginning on land going over the basics. We purchased the picture package which was great. We got about 80 picture at the end (of the 2 of us combined) for about $50. I definitely recommend buying the pictures. We keep looking at ours and cracking up . Great experience and a highlight of the trip.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mjultiply
1 contribution
Feb 2020
I signed up for a group lesson but because I was by myself I had the option of upgrading to a personal lesson for only $20 or rescheduling/ cancelling. I opted to do a personal lesson.
Josh was my teacher and he was great. A very patient and encouraging teacher with years of experience surfing, teaching and even judging at competitions.
I've always wanted to try surfing and because it was my first time I struggled a bit but I had a lot of fun learning.
I highly recommend this place for anyone in Hawaii and wanted to give surfing a shot!
Josh was my teacher and he was great. A very patient and encouraging teacher with years of experience surfing, teaching and even judging at competitions.
I've always wanted to try surfing and because it was my first time I struggled a bit but I had a lot of fun learning.
I highly recommend this place for anyone in Hawaii and wanted to give surfing a shot!
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jsmall96
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Family
This was our second time surfing with Royal Hawaiian and this time we had seven in our party and were worried about not getting one on one attention, to our surprise it was not an issue. The guys at Royal Hawaiian made sure everyone got their full attention and they had everyone up surfing in only a couple of waves. Can wait for next year!
Written January 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Satise D
Hayward, CA1 contribution
Jul 2021
I am so glad that I signed up for Royal Hawaiian's Surf lesson. I had only recently tried surfing on my own once before and did a horrible job at it! I highly recommend taking a lesson through the academy. I did the group lesson which was three others and myself. Josh, our instructor went over the basics and had us all try out different techniques on land first. He didn't spend too long on this, but I felt the instruction was still thorough and included the most important information. We had a great deal of hands on practice in the water. My goal was to stand on the board and surf at least 5 waves and I more than exceeded that. Each time, the instructor, Josh, called us over one at a time. He would show us how to look for good waves and give us new pointers each consecutive time, based on our previous wave. The instruction was really direct, concise and positive. At the end, there was a photographer who had been taken pictures, who offered a packet deal, for a set of your best surf shots downloaded to your email. There was no pressure at all to buy theses photos. My only wish is that I had known ahead about the pictures, then perhaps I could have tried to smile and not have such a concentrated face on one or two of them! I made sure to give a gratuity to the instructor. Also, they have cubbies to keep all of your things and there is a washroom nearby that was clean.
Written July 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
808yys2020
Santa Clara, CA1 contribution
Dec 2020
It was our first surfing lesson here in Royal Hawaii Surf Academy. All the staffs and coaches are nice and friendly. We got a call the day before to reschedule our time since they predicted the sea would be calm on our original scheduled time. During the class, the coach was experienced and patient. He really knew how to coach the first time surfers like us! The beach for the lesson is not very busy, so we won’t bump into other surfers (and we saw a turtle swim by us as a bonus:)). After our lesson, we got great pictures of us surfing taken by Ric (need to pay to get the pictures sent to you, but the price is very reasonable) — what a surprise!
Written January 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kat
Watertown, MA2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
My boyfriend and I each purchased a private lesson while staying at Lahaina Shores Beach Hotel, which was right next door. Gear was provided, even a rash guard to protect my stomach. The instructors were very knowledgeable, friendly and great teachers. They give you as much hands on instruction and independence as you need. The location also features shallow waters and long waves to give you ample opportunity to practice balance and steering.
This was my first time surfing and I feel confident now that I could try it on my own, with small waves of course! I recommend Royal Hawaiian Surfing to anyone who wants to give surfing a try while in Lahaina. Remember though, you get what you pay for and if you don’t want to wait on other students, then you need to book a PRIVATE lesson!
They also take tons of pictures that you can buy if you want. This one is my boyfriend and I surfing the same wave!
This was my first time surfing and I feel confident now that I could try it on my own, with small waves of course! I recommend Royal Hawaiian Surfing to anyone who wants to give surfing a try while in Lahaina. Remember though, you get what you pay for and if you don’t want to wait on other students, then you need to book a PRIVATE lesson!
They also take tons of pictures that you can buy if you want. This one is my boyfriend and I surfing the same wave!
Written July 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A G
Fort Worth, TX3 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Booked the SUP tour and had a great time! Our guide was Tavner; he was great. We say turtles, a monk seal sunbathing, and even a black tip reef shark. SUP is super easy once you get the feel for it.
The check in process was easy but they tell you the check in time is 30 minutes before the actual check in time (i.e they told us to be there at 7:15, but the shop wasn't even open at that time). I had exchanged a few emails with the owner to ask about taking pictures during the tour, but he stated he would not advise that as it could diminish the experience, but that we could pay a photographer to take them for us. The photographer was too busy with other groups so we were not able to get any pictures. We were aslo asked if we wanted to purchase a waterproof sleeve for our cell phone to take pictures ourself which contradicts the message of "diminishing the experience". Our guide was nice enough to try to find the photographer, but he could not so he took a couple of pics on his cell phone, but we never received them. Emailed them and called but still nothing.
Overall, the experience was good, but had to give 4 stars instead of 5 since we did not get our pics. Would be happy to revise the review if I get the pics.
The check in process was easy but they tell you the check in time is 30 minutes before the actual check in time (i.e they told us to be there at 7:15, but the shop wasn't even open at that time). I had exchanged a few emails with the owner to ask about taking pictures during the tour, but he stated he would not advise that as it could diminish the experience, but that we could pay a photographer to take them for us. The photographer was too busy with other groups so we were not able to get any pictures. We were aslo asked if we wanted to purchase a waterproof sleeve for our cell phone to take pictures ourself which contradicts the message of "diminishing the experience". Our guide was nice enough to try to find the photographer, but he could not so he took a couple of pics on his cell phone, but we never received them. Emailed them and called but still nothing.
Overall, the experience was good, but had to give 4 stars instead of 5 since we did not get our pics. Would be happy to revise the review if I get the pics.
Written June 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lina
9 contributions
Mar 2021 • Friends
The staff and instructors here are great! We booked a semi private lesson for 4 people and had 2 instructors (Kayla & KeAli'i), it was our first time surfing, their instructions were clear and they ensured that we had the steps down before bringing us into the water. Our safety was their number one priority, they were patient with us and gave us pointers while we were in the water to make sure each of us were able to catch some waves. I would definitely recommend taking lessons from here and will be revisiting next time I'm in Maui.
Written March 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sharon C
Phoenix, AZ34 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
I would definitely recommend Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy because they not only give you a rash guard, water shoes, and surf board, but you can also purchase a download copies of pics that they take of your surf experience afterwards. My son, age 15, and daughter, age 21, both loved their instructor and got tons of surf time because they were in a small group of 4 people. Mahalo RHSA for a GREAT time!
Written July 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello My 6 year old knows how to swim in a pool and really wants to do a surfing lesson. Do you guys have an age restriction?
Written January 9, 2022
As far as I know there was no age restriction. They serve him very very shallow water and they can also wear a life vest if you want them to
Written January 10, 2022
Are there updates to the full-refund-within-24-hour-of-event cancellation policy due to COVID-19?
Written November 28, 2020
Do you take pictures of the surf lessons so that I can buy them afterwards?
Written April 30, 2019
My son is 6.5 years. Is there a minimum age cutoff? And what type of lesson would it be?
Written July 9, 2018
Aloha and thank you for your question! We have a minimum requirement age for our group lessons(10yrs old) but we can be flexible with age on a private lesson. A group lesson consist of up to 5 students per one instructor. A private lesson is one on one and is safer for a younger child in the ocean. We would love to speak to you more about the many different options we can serve you with, please feel free to give us a call!! Mahalo!
Written July 25, 2018
davedianne718
New Castle, Colorado
How close is this to the cruise ship port and what is the price for a family of 4?
Written June 3, 2018
We are located right in Lahaina town, about 5-10min walk from the harbor area. Our group rates are 75$ per person but if you give us a call, we can give you a family rate! You can also check out our website!
Mahalo Nui
Written June 3, 2018
no I called said I would have to get hold of third party I booked it
Written November 27, 2022
Dear Royal Hawaiian surf Academy.
My Son Spencer Haber is almost 10 years old and he has never surfed on a full size board before. He is a fearless athletic little guy!! I would like to schedule a 4 hour private lesson for myself and him on the second full day of our vacation. Sunday. We arrive next Friday afternoon on June 30th and we are staying at the Westin Resort and Spa. We would like to know how much it will cost for the two of us and one of your cool surf instructors to spend an awesome morning with us.
Preferably starting around 9am. (If possible.) Do you know if our hotel has a shuttle bus directlty to you? I know they drop off at the outlets.
Im Not sure how far away that is from you and whether we can walk from there to you. Please let us know. We seriously can't wait to get out there and do it up!!! Or should I say, Stand it up...
I can be reached on my cell phone at any time night or day. My cell # is 818 448-1477. We cant wait to meet you guys and have an awesone first day of surfing. Most Sincerely,
Steve & Spencer Haber
Written June 25, 2017
What is the difference in having my husband and 3 kids sign up for "group lessons" for $300 and private lessons for $400?
Written March 29, 2017
Group lessons will be with people you likely don't know and private lessons will be just your family and the instructor(s).
Written March 30, 2017
Aloha, all of our lessons are 2 hours. Starts with skill, safety on the beach and the rest of the time in the water surfing! Hope to see you soon!
Written October 26, 2015
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