Hey guys..I'm looking at going over to Hawaii ( Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu) in first week of July fir 10 days and wanting some advice on what conditions I can expect. I'm pretty confident on a sup and want some nice waves ranging from easy (for my partner) to more surf orientated for me. I have done some research on here about Blue planet) local s and breaks..I ride a 8'5 Speeed and 7'8 Minion..But hesitant to take them and risk damage. Be great to hear from anyone who has been there at this time of year or any of my Hawaiian brothers that live there. I have family there but looking a a package deal flights+accommodation from NZ..maybe use Airbnb as an option -has anyone used this type of accommodation? What airline ) travel centre do kiwis recommend..Just wanting as much info before pulling the trigger
Chur ..
It's gonna be hot .
so take a singlet .
waikiki ,is easy .i paddled way out to the Almoana side .had some nice waves .
Its summer so most of the time it will be off shore on that side .
you a'int seen crowds till you hit Honolulu.I liked the action.It can pump at Waikiki.
air new zealand all the way bro.i stayed at OUTrigger Lanai.close to the beach ,near the war memorial.
and away from the main drag .easy walk .
enjoy ..its a great place .i hope you get a visa off trump.
DEFINITELY hook up with Blue Planet. PLENTY of rental boards to meet your needs, and I'm pretty sure they will deliver where you are.
A little bit longer board than your little ones might be more fun in the immediate Waikiki area. As it will get you into the softer waves sooner, and it will give you the ability to go find your own peak (well, one that has only 10 guys instead of 40).
Robert at Blue Planet is the real deal. Check in with him on where to find a wave on the South Shore that's a real wave but a bit less crowded and more SUP friendly.
Man, if you have the ability / desire, take a downwind lesson with Blue Planet. Downwinding in Hawaii is something special. You're in good hands with Blue Planet even if you've never done it.
Thanks Big..From all accounts the BP boys sound like the go to guys there. So some of the breaks I've been reading about on the breeze.. Inbetweens, 3's..etc...Will these be working at this time of year?
Chur
Part of the demo fleet below.
Full list here:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZC_M66oeSWSgcyiqy9a0-Z3RMze4D1wGktCeLAIOHUM/edit#gid=0
No afflitiation to Blue Planet, etc. Just the right / easy way to do that area.
I don't know, I'm from the mainland U.S.
That is the season though... everything should be working, I assume.
Waikiki is mega crowded, but most people don't have any idea what they are doing. So it's easy for you and your girl to rent a couple longboards (Mals?) right on the sand at Waikiki and go out and have fun and get a bunch of waves. Ought to do it once in your life.
Yeah, the shore shore should be pumping just fine by July so all of those spots should work. Honestly, the most foolproof plan is to just go to Ala Moana Beach park. Weekday mid morning crowds aren't too bad, the parking situation is manageable and you have access to about a dozen breaks that have a good variety in terms of skill level. Look around for a break there with a SUP or two already there and just go for it.
Thanks exiled and Big.. Appreciate your input..Long way to go for this Maori boy but I'm looking at it like a once in a lifetime dream holiday and plan to make the most of it..Hitting breaks at sunrise seems the go..Surf til im wrecked. .Bit of food then back at it..Throw in a little shopping and look around in between
Chur brothers
Supmaori sounds like it's going to great.....and as a SUPer it's like going to the spiritual birthplace
I am actually going to Waikiki and Maui with the family end Sep start Oct this year.
Can't wait to go. Once in a lifetime opportunity with the family even though it's going to cost me at least 10 Sunova SUPS .
Last night I was researching possible places to hire boards.
In terms of Waikiki, the following places came up as options:
Blue Planet
Hawaii Surfboard Rentals
Big Wave Dave
Koa Beach Service
Moku Hawaii
Waikiki Surfboard Rentals
The first two seem the best but there could be others. They also offer weekly rental which is cost effective. You can hire from the beach (e.g. Waikiki beach Services) but costs are more than $20/hr.At Hawaii Surfboard Rentals you can get a "premium" board for $80 over 2 days and then only $20 for each additional day (i.e. over 7 days it could cost you $180 to have a board - good value).
The issue / question I have is the following, if I am staying at a Resort how would I store a board for a weekly rental ? Do the Resorts have storage space? I will also have no car but I understand that they deliver. Could they deliver daily ? This would surely be expensive.If anyone has answers to these it would be great. I am also going to email the resort I am staying at as well as both Blue Planet and Surfboard Rentals , and even the Sheraton where we are staying to find out.
Also may take purchase a 3 piece paddle as usually hire paddles are totally crap.
I have also considered taking by Starboard inflatable.......but it seems to much hassle in terms of inflating and deflating
If you are staying at the "Sheraton Princess Kaiulani" Koa street is across the road from you and Koa Board sports is in that street. All hotels store your boards. I paid a visit to Blue Planet they definitely have the best boards , it's a $20 taxi ride from the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani . If you fly Hawaiin no worries to take you own Sup up to 9-2 max I think. They give you 2 x 30kg so really good. I just got back on Sunday and took a Sunova speed 8-10 no worries. If you do take your own board make sure it's a good paddler as the breaks out front are really spread out.
For the wife and kids I just hired a board off the beach for $20 first hour & $15 the second only did that twice and they were happy. It's really easy and yes take your own paddle. Make sure you take a Sunset cruise on one of the cats off the beach $45 and includes all you drinks heaps of fun .Any more questions fire away.
Thanks Piros.
We are actually staying at a different Sheraton.....Sheraton Waikiki (near that famous Pink place)
Not sure if I can take my own board, just too much to carry around with all the kids stuff.
Btw where did you keep the Sunova ? In your room ?
Wow best hotel in Waikiki like your style. Koa board sports is about a 10 min walk from there. The boards won't fit in the lift so you just give it to the guys who store the luggage and they put it in there.
This is a shot of your pool , how good is that. We went there for a drink. You have waves straight out front but a 500m paddle.
G boots and Piros..I'm frothing already..I'm more likely going on air NZ and I'm.not sure what the cost of taking my sunova would be if anyone knows about Air NZ??..Really appreciate the feedback boys . Sounds like buying a paddle that breaks down is the best option
Better start saving..
Chur chur
It sure looks beautiful. To be honest I would be happy to SUP all day and stay at a 3 Star.
That Koa Board place is only a 9 min walk so may be a good option
Well 10 min was a good guess to Koa Board sports 
it's also the last old school surf shop left in Waikiki they have some really cool gear there as well. Your wife and kids will love the Sheraton Waikiki they won't leave and you are free to surf all day plus they can watch you.
Yeah they can laugh at me all day.
Need to get some decent Hawaiian shirts while I'm there.
There is no other place I want to visit more than Hawaii right now
Yeah guys same here..if your a waterman..It's the Holy Grail IMO..I'd b happy to sleep in a tent if it meant getting there ????
Hi SupM, I went at the same time last year and had a blast. 1st time there and I loved every second. Awesome waves. Mostly surfed at 3's. I hired a Sup from Koa and it was a 9'6". Bit long for me my usual boards are a 7'6" JP Pro and a 7'2" JP Slate. The good news is mate that I'm heading back for the same week that you will be there so we should try and hook up and get amongst it. I'll be taking my Slate over this time. Nothing like your own board and paddle. Cheers. Gav
Guys have you got the Koa website ? I keep getting an error message on this one
koaboardsports.com/
differnt URL ?
Awesome Gav..I've still got to lock in dates but it's going to be around that week . Happy to hook and up share some stoke with fellow breezers.
Chur bro
Do yourself a favor hire a car and get to the North Shore, if even just for one day.
Whilst the big Hotels and glitz in Waikiki is kinda interesting, its all massive high-rises, millions of fat tourists & expensive gift stores. Its like Surfers Paradise on riods.
The Nth Shore is not all heaving barrels of death, has gorgeous natural beauty -and if you are a surfer its a bit like visiting Mecca. You'll kick yourself if you fly half way round the world and dont get there....
No worries SupM. Hope to catch up.
Totally agree with Damo. The North Shore is an absolute must and a huge contrast to Waikiki. Surfed at Rocky Point near Sunset Beach and it was unreal.
Just be aware that the North Shore will be flat as a lake in July. Maybe Chuns or Laniakea if the tide is right.
This is a great thread for me (thanks for everyones comments so far) cause we recently locked in our dates for last week of Aug. I'm amped cause it's also my 1st time visiting Hawaii (the missus has been to Oahu before so we've decided to include Maui for 4 nights) so if any breezers are over at the same time, pls let me know cause it would be great to catch up & have some company on the water.
@SUPMaori: from what I understand re AirNZ, you can take a board up to 2m (6'5) as part of your regular luggage...fine for a prone board....but the outsized luggage is hellishly expensive with a limit up to 2.5m (8'2) which unfortunately rules out your Speeed. I think I'm going to hire a board....especially given that we're also visiting Maui.
Chur Bru and Exiled
Yup been a big help people. Amped to get over there ??
There's also some pretty cool YouTube footage of some of the breaks that have been mentioned being surfed by morals like us..Even on the smaller days it looks mean as
And looking at some breaks you can see that some are SUP friendly while others look only to be for the prone surfers..
And Damo is exa right- I'd paddle on the North Shore and catch ripples just to say I've been there.. Bahaha
Hi SUPMaori,
You are getting good advice here. The Sheraton you are staying at has board storage by the pool for guests. If you rent from our shop we can deliver and pick up the boards from the hotel and we also have decent rental paddles. Storage lockers are available in Waikiki at nalustorage.com/ (one week minimum).
If you don't mind using a basic beginner SUP (usually big, beat up, and heavy), there are lots of options in Waikiki but most rental places don't offer smaller performance boards.
For more information on our rental program please check out this page:
blueplanetsurf.com/products/rental-reservation/
Aloha,
Robert Stehlik, owner at Blue Planet
Thanks Blue Planet and Robert, I will be sure to be in touch with regards to my SUP hire once all my itinerary is in place. Thanks for taking the time to add your input here. Definitely want a performance orientated board that I'm comfortable on. Will you be running one if your free Demo days that I've seen in July...Looks a great way to try out boards and conditions.
Cheers again
