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Kitesurfing in Hawaii

15 spots · 3 destinations · 10 schools

Oahu's South Shore is reef and wave-riding: Diamond Head and Kahala's left-hander Razors demand solid intermediate skill and a walk-in launch, while Kaneohe Sandbar flips the script as a boat-access freestyle flat spanning Kaneohe Bay.

Spots with a rule14a permit, a zone or a closed season in the recordBeginner spots4where the record says a beginner can rideSeasonMarch to Novembersomewhere in the regionWindsTrade winds, Konanamed by two or more of its spots

Maui's north shore adds Lanes, an advanced-only break next to Ho'okipa, and Sugar Cove, squeezed into the Kahului Airport no-fly corridor. Trade winds hold April through October; Kauai's Tunnels is left to experts only.

Hawaii holds 15 kitesurf spots in our atlas, grouped into 3 destinations. Riding here is mostly chop and lagoons. The season runs March to November.

4 of them suits beginners. 10 schools operate in the region. The busiest areas are Maui - Kite Beach (Kanaha), Oahu - Kailua and Oahu North Shore.

When you may ride

the rules these spots carry, with the year on each

Kite Beach (Kanaha)Maui - Kite Beach20262026: no riding before 11:00. This is the most enforced local rule and the one continued access depends on.
2026: no riding before 11:00. This is the most enforced local rule and the one continued access depends on.

The whole rule, on the Kite Beach (Kanaha) page

Kailua BeachOahu - Kailua20262026: launch, land and enter the water only in the designated Zone A area at the north end of Kailua Beach Park.
2026: launch, land and enter the water only in the designated Zone A area at the north end of Kailua Beach Park.

The whole rule, on the Kailua Beach page

Baldwin BeachMaui North Shore20262026: the Baldwin/Baby Beach launch is there for launching and landing on the way to the reefs, not for riding in close. No sailing in the shorebreak. Advanced sailors only, no beginners, no teaching.
2026: the Baldwin/Baby Beach launch is there for launching and landing on the way to the reefs, not for riding in close. No sailing in the shorebreak. Advanced sailors only, no beginners, no teaching.

The whole rule, on the Baldwin Beach page

Diamond HeadOahu South Shore1994The water off this beach sits inside the Diamond Head Restricted Area, Hawaii Administrative Rules section 13-256-90, effective 24 February 1994 and carried unchanged into the April 2025 compilation.
The water off this beach sits inside the Diamond Head Restricted Area, Hawaii Administrative Rules section 13-256-90, effective 24 February 1994 and carried unchanged into the April 2025 compilation.

The whole rule, on the Diamond Head page

Flash BeachMaui North Shore20262026: the FAA waiver within 5 miles of Kahului Airport requires kiteboarders to see and avoid aircraft and non-participants, to stay out of the OGG runway corridor that runs 2 nautical miles from the runway end and half a nautical mile each side, to operate only between official sunrise and sunset, and to keep kites at or below 125 ft above sea level; a kiteboarding safety meeting is required within every 12-month period.
2026: the FAA waiver within 5 miles of Kahului Airport requires kiteboarders to see and avoid aircraft and non-participants, to stay out of the OGG runway corridor that runs 2 nautical miles from the runway end and half a nautical mile each side, to operate only between official sunrise and sunset, and to keep kites at or below 125 ft above sea level; a kiteboarding safety meeting is required within every 12-month period.

The whole rule, on the Flash Beach page

Hukilau BeachOahu East Side20262026: vehicle access to Hukilau Beach Park is closed on Sundays, and you can still walk in. No kite-specific rule for Hukilau is confirmed.
2026: vehicle access to Hukilau Beach Park is closed on Sundays, and you can still walk in. No kite-specific rule for Hukilau is confirmed.

The whole rule, on the Hukilau Beach page

KahalaOahu South Shore20262026: no kite-specific municipal rule for Kahala/Waialae Beach Park was found. Keep clear of the houses, the hotel frontage and the golf-course boundary, and park only where the street allows.
2026: no kite-specific municipal rule for Kahala/Waialae Beach Park was found. Keep clear of the houses, the hotel frontage and the golf-course boundary, and park only where the street allows.

The whole rule, on the Kahala page

Kaneohe SandbarOahu Windward Coast20262026: Kaneohe Bay ocean waters are managed under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 13-256, which carries no kiteboarding article at all.
2026: Kaneohe Bay ocean waters are managed under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 13-256, which carries no kiteboarding article at all.

The whole rule, on the Kaneohe Sandbar page

KiheiMaui - Kihei20262026: kite Kihei only when the wind is side-onshore from N, NW, SW or SSW, and stay out of the fish pond south of the beach, which is a cultural site.
2026: kite Kihei only when the wind is side-onshore from N, NW, SW or SSW, and stay out of the fish pond south of the beach, which is a cultural site.

The whole rule, on the Kihei page

LanesMaui North Shore20262026: Maui north-shore kiteboarding runs under FAA waiver conditions - no kiteboarding in the OGG runway corridor, which is 2 nautical miles out from the runway end and half a nautical mile each side, official sunrise to sunset only, lines no longer than 125 ft and the kite no higher than 125 ft above sea level, and the rider carrying responsibility for seeing and avoiding aircraft and non-participants.
2026: Maui north-shore kiteboarding runs under FAA waiver conditions - no kiteboarding in the OGG runway corridor, which is 2 nautical miles out from the runway end and half a nautical mile each side, official sunrise to sunset only, lines no longer than 125 ft and the kite no higher than 125 ft above sea level, and the rider carrying responsibility for seeing and avoiding aircraft and non-participants.

The whole rule, on the Lanes page

LaniakeaOahu North Shore20262026: no alcohol, no camping, no cars on the sand, no fire pits and no smoking at Kawailoa & Laniakea Beach. Stay at least 10 ft / 3 m from turtles, on land and in the water.
2026: no alcohol, no camping, no cars on the sand, no fire pits and no smoking at Kawailoa & Laniakea Beach. Stay at least 10 ft / 3 m from turtles, on land and in the water.

The whole rule, on the Laniakea page

Mokuleia Beach ParkOahu North Shore20262026: camping at Mokuleia Beach Park needs a City and County permit. No kiteboarding-specific government rule for this beach park is published.
2026: camping at Mokuleia Beach Park needs a City and County permit. No kiteboarding-specific government rule for this beach park is published.

The whole rule, on the Mokuleia Beach Park page

Sugar CoveMaui North Shore20262026: the Kahului runway no-fly corridor, 2 nautical miles long by 1 nautical mile wide with half a nautical mile either side of the runway centreline running from the runway end out to sea, is closed to kites under any circumstances.
2026: the Kahului runway no-fly corridor, 2 nautical miles long by 1 nautical mile wide with half a nautical mile either side of the runway centreline running from the runway end out to sea, is closed to kites under any circumstances.

The whole rule, on the Sugar Cove page

WaimanaloOahu Windward Coast20262026: Bellows AFS publishes its own installation policies.
2026: Bellows AFS publishes its own installation policies.

The whole rule, on the Waimanalo page

Each block is the opening of the record's own rule, kept in its own words. Where two postings do not line up, both are kept and neither is picked for you.

The winds here

what the spot records call the wind, and the knots they quote

Trade winds

named by 7 spots here

No spot record quotes a knot range against this wind by name.

Kona

named by 3 spots here

No spot record quotes a knot range against this wind by name.

Two or more spots name each of these here as well: Northeast trade winds. The knots a spot quotes for one of them are on that spot's own page.

The spots this region is known for

tier 1 of the 15 spots here

Kite Beach (Kanaha)

Destinations in Hawaii

Maui - Kite Beach (Kanaha)choppywavesbeginner-friendly6 spots · 6 schoolsOahu - Kailualagoonbeginner-friendlybuzzing scene6 spots · 4 schoolsOahu North Shoreadvancedexpensive2 spots

All spots in Hawaii

Baldwin BeachseaDiamond HeadseaFlash Beachsea · beginner okHukilau BeachseaKahalaseaKailua Beachmixed · beginner okKaneohe Sandbarlagoon · beginner okKiheichop/waves with dangerous shore breakKite Beach (Kanaha)mixed · beginner okLanesseaLaniakeaseaMokuleia Beach ParkseaSugar CoveseaTunnels BeachseaWaimanalosea

Regions come from OpenStreetMap administrative boundaries; each spot page carries the record behind it. This list runs A to Z; the block above it is the tier order.

Last updated September 2026