Big Kahuna Adventures

AWFUL EXPERIENCE!
I made reservations for my family for a Sunday paddle boarding lesson. He told me we would get a 30 minute lesson on land and 2 hours on the water. He sounded pretty helpful on the phone so we were all excited to go.
However, when we got there we were given a pathetic «lesson» inside the tiny shack which consisted of «This is how you paddle» and «This is where you should stand». We were also surprised to find out that we had to carry our own paddle boards from the shop to the beach… these things are super wide and at least 50 lbs. It took us about 10 – 15 minutes just to get to the water. We struggled a lot with no one there to teach us and eventually gave up after about 30 minutes. My little sister dropped her board on accident so he charged us for a dent that he found. But what do you expect when you give a 16 year a ginormous board and expect her to carry it herself?!
I was very upset that he failed to tell us when I called the night before to make reservations that there’d be no one to take us to the beach and give us an actual lesson. Money wasted. Go somewhere else if you want to learn how to paddle board. Super disappointed. NOT RECOMMENDED!

First timer!!! Decided to do it for on my 30^th birthday and Rory taught us very well, caught most of my waves it was sooooo much fun !!! the pictures turned out great too!!!

Great shop. Super friendly and had the best equipment. My first day on Maui I checked all the shops in the Kihei area and found BK had the best looking rental boards. I rented a Robert August long board for the week and surfed everyday. I saw Jeff, his wife and son in the line up every morning and they were friendly and helpful. They helped me find other spots, told me about local conditions, tides, swell etc. Jeff got some pictures of me on one of the bigger days and gave me a CD to take home. Really nice family and great Aloha.
— Tom.

This place rules!!! My husband needed a snorkeling filter for his GOPRO and not only did this place have it but they were incredibly helpful and even had him being his gopro in so that they could help him make sure he was getting the right product and knew how to put it on right.
They had lots of enthusiasm as well as knowledge. This is exactly what all businesses should be. Surf and non-​surf. Restores your faith in humanity.

Great surf lessons for kids. Super nice instructors. We booked a lesson with Noah and the kids had a great time. He was patient and really helpful. Definitely will go again

We had a great experience with this company. The booking was easy via the web site, and check in was right at the beach. The employees were super nice and helpful. We signed up our two kids for a group lesson but they were the only two so it turned into a private lesson. We saw other companies with 20 or more clients at a time and were really happy our kids got one on one attention. The cost was super affordable and the owner even gave us a great lunch recommendation for after the lesson.

Jeff was very rude to us!!! when we went in to the shop to rent surf boards. Jeff will try to snake you on the prices. I would not recommend this surf shop for boards I would highly go somewhere else like hi tech is a lot better better deals better prices!!!

My husband and son took surfing lessons from BKA. My son is eight years old and an amputee below the knee. The staff at BKA didn’t skip a beat in assuring us they would do everything necessary to get him up in the water even while wearing his prosthetic. Everybody at BKA was so nice. They made us feel like we were old friends. The staff did everything necessary to teach my son what he needed to know to be safe and have fun. Happy to report that thanks to BKA my son got up on the surfboard on his first try! Also loved that Jeff was out there taking pictures of everyone enjoying themselves out on the waves. He got some great shots I wasn’t able to with my camera. Will definitely be seeing them again on our next trip to Maui. Highly recommend these guys!

Had a good time with my first surf lesson.
Instructor was super cool and had a good handle on things.
Two hours went by super fast just doing wave after wave, fall after fall
Only little thing is that there are a lot of corals and rocks in the sharp water. Got some cuts on my hands, but that is not the shops fault.

Jeffrey you added the special touch to our family vacation!
We had the pleasure of doing business with Big Kahuna Adventures on our once in a lifetime family vacation for 12! I contacted Jeffrey a few short weeks before we arrived on the beautiful Island of Maui, he was able to accommodate us with kayak and paddle board rentals for the week at our beach home and was full of information and suggestions to make our vacation extra special! He delivered and picked up the rentals we had nothing to worry about but having fun and making memories!
Thank you Jeffrey we hope to see you on a future trip to Maui :)
Aloha my friend
April

Absolutely awesome experience! Jeff and his crew did a great job. We did a semi-​private lesson with me and my two older kids. Rory was our instructor, and he was extremely helpful and patient. He watched every attempt and gave tips and tweaks every time. Both our 12 and 10 year olds were up on the surf boards after the first couple tries. My old bones took a little longer, but even an adult can get through the basics pretty quickly. And the photos were amazing! Jeff was right in the water with us with some great action and post-​wipeout candid shots. Also, another group showed up unexpectedly at the same time, and Jeff was able to accommodate them with another instructor — now that’s great service! Highest recommendation for Big Kahuna!
Parking was easy/​free right across the street at Kalama park. We got there at 9:30 am on a Monday morning (hour drive from Kapalua). Park was a bit aged, but with nice sandy area. Beach was very shallow for a long distance, but does have some larger rocks. There were a couple bumps and bruises, but very minor and didn’t hinder the fun. Just remember to fall open body like they instruct so that you don’t go as deep into the water. There was a fresh water shower rinse, and clean bathrooms nearby so we were able to get cleaned up and changed without having to drive back to our hotel. There was also a bit of chaffing on the knees from the repeated rubbing on the boards coupled with the salt water. A little bit of cortisone ointment after helped a lot.
P. S. Top of the experience with Local Boys shave ice right across the street!

We had a great experience with Big Kahuna. We signed up for a group class but we were the only ones in the group so it was more of a private lesson. Jesse our instructor was awesome and knowledgeable. This was my first time to surf and I felt very confident after his instruction. What I really like about Big Kahuna is despite the name, it’s a fairly smaller operation and there is more of a personal feel from the instructors. When we went out on the water there were a number of surf classes going on. One of them had a big group of 8 or more and what looked like just one instructor. I was very pleased with our very personal and private class. We were able to get more waves and we had a great time. Next time I am in Maui I will definitely be back to Big Kahuna.

We contacted BKA to schedule a group surfing lesson for our 12 year old daughter. The owner, Jeff, recommended the earlier time slot (8 am) and we took this suggestion. We were really glad we did, because this area tends to get pretty windy by around 11 am. Her instructor, Jeremy, was prompt and courteous and we really lucked out because nobody else signed up for that date and time. I appreciate that they didn’t try to reschedule us even though we ended up with a private lesson for the group price.
They fitted her out with a rash guard and booties and, after a brief introduction on the land, they headed for the waves, where she was consistently able to stand up. The area where they were had big enough waves for her to surf, but not overwhelming for a beginner. It also wasn’t very crowded at all. Jeremy was very patient, encouraging and enthusiastic.
Afterward, we did have the opportunity to buy a disc of all of the photos Jeff took while she was having her lesson. Although we had gotten some good shots with a telephoto lens on our own camera, it was nice to have the up close shots and angles that he is able to get out in the water. There was no high pressure to purchase the photos and the disc was very reasonably priced.
I would definitely use this company again and would recommend them to other beginning surfers.

HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED! Paid $ 440 for a 2.5 hour birthday «turtle» kayak tour. First off, the guide arrived late. Then, it took the him 45 minutes to get us «checked in». Apparently, all of this time counted toward the 2.5 hours (we even pulled in 15 minutes early). When we finally made it out, we only went approximately 50 yards off of the beach to a lava coral reef adjacent to the beach where we started. (FYI, it would have been better, and more cost efficient, to just snorkel ourselves out to that point). After paddling around in circles for 15 – 20 minutes, we finally anchored to only see ONE turtle! We were told by the guide that there were «hundreds» of turtles usually in this spot. Not to worry he stated! Over by «turtle town» we would see our fair share of turtles. GUARANTEED! In «turtle town» we saw, you guessed it, one turtle again. The guide kept saying they stay down for about 10 minutes at a time then come up for air. We waited, and waited, and waited,…(you get the point) and did not see another turtle. We snorkeled for about 20 – 25 minutes in «turtle town» with no other turtle sightings. However, we did see a few tropical fish. Once again, nothing near the numbers we were told we’d see. At this point, our guide sadly advised us our tour was coming to an end. When we asked what time it was he said it was 10:20am and that our tour was expected to end at 11am. It took is approximately 20 minutes to get back to shore. By the time we unloaded it was 15 minutes before 11am. I suggest looking into other snorkeling tours other than BKA. We had a good time with another tour company out of Lahaina. Hope this helps.

Great surf shop high quality boards and perfect location. More importantly very cool owners, no attitude and super friendly. Very close to beach.

Jeff & his crew are really awesome, caring people that want to see everyone having safe fun out on the water. The small shop has a lot packed into it. Good buys, good prices.
During lessons, Jeff will be in the water going photo crazy with his GoPro while offering encouragement and extra pointers on correct form. Clearly, he loves his shop and surfing! There’s an option to purchase ALL of your photos after your lesson. He’s got good photography skills and the navy blue rash guard they give you really worked with my complexion in making me look pro on that board. Haha.
Lessons are pretty straight forward. You only get better with practice — don’t give up! Also, I noticed Big Kahuna teaches the correct way to pop-​up onto your feet vs a few of the other schools which demonstrate knee slide & step up. That could hurt after a short while if you slide too much. May as well avoid rashes and do it right… POP UP with Big Kahuna! \\ — //

Nice folks at first and good equipment. Price was right. Wind and swell conditions were not ideal however and waves were large. I feel they could have been more assertive and professional to suggest that my fiancé and I, first timers not go out. Instead we went out and were quickly sucked down current on our way to Molokini! We spent the entire 90 minutes fighting to get back to our start point. Not fun.
Best to be safe and honest with your clientele rather than they struggle and find themselves in perilous conditions.
Food for thought…

Not a great experience. Most of the issue was with the owner Jeff however not the other staff which we thought did an outstanding job. Jeff seemed more interested in getting good pictures that he could sell us later than actually being concerned with my or my child’s safety or skill level. About an hour into the lesson when we are all very proud to actually be standing and riding the waves another surfer crashed into my 8 yr old daughter and «rode» up her back with his surf board. My daughter was shook up and in pain and the surf instructor swam over to check on her and said it was cool if we stay to the outside until she is ready to go again. She had been surfing great but the crash had hurt and scared her and the area was getting very crowded. This was not okay with Jeff who was in the water trying to get «good shots» and he kept harassing her to paddle back to the instructor for a push off… it went on for several minutes even though I asked him to leave her alone and the surf instructor told him what had happened. He even grabbed her board to line up a wave for the push off… and she said she wanted to go back to her mom… Crazy Dude. I really wanted to slap him. WTF? Don’t mess with my kid. He should stick to running the business behind the scenes and leave his staff to do their jobs.

Came here for snorkeling gear, and the prices seemed right. Jack will hook you up with what you want and send you to great locations.
I can’t say how surfing lessons are here, but the shop does boast a great selection of water accessories and gear.

I reserved my Fiancé and I a surfing lesson with B.K.A. I sent Jeff a message and he responded quickly and was very helpful. He emailed over the agreement and I had it signed and faxed back to him. Easy as 1 2 3 :)
When the day for our surf lesson arrived 5÷18÷12 we got there 15min before just like they said (our appt was bright and early at 8am) I forgot the names of the people that helped us but they were super nice and super informative during the 20min of lesson that they give you before you head out to the water. They gave us a rash guard and booties for our feet.
I didn’t have as much fun as my Fiancé did but it wasn’t anything that B.K.A did or didn’t do. I unfortunately don’t know how to swim and I had to take off my glasses (which i am blind without) The area they take you isn’t deep but once my anxiety kicked in, I freaked out. Sure, I could have probably just stood up but the mix of anxiety and not being able to see and being out in the ocean for the first time didn’t leave me time to calmly think about how shallow the water probably was :) Surfing wasn’t for me but I’m glad I tried it with B.K.A. My fiancé caught a couple of waves and it was fun watching him and all the other students.
If you want to try surfing definitely try it with B.K.A
p.s great prices!