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Hawaii · Maui North Shore · Maui County · Paia

Baldwin Beach

also known as Baby Beach, Baby Beach launch site

advanced onlyonshoremedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Sugar Cove under 1 km · Kite Beach (Kanaha) 3 km · Flash Beach 4 km · Lanes 6 km · Kihei 18 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy17-35 kttrade, onshore Launchmediumaccess rules on record, below Watersea26-28°C in summer · 21 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools6named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedKahului Airport (OGG)

On the clock

11:00 · 13:00

The trades blow day and night, and the daytime half is the stronger one. On this coast the wind fills in around 11:00 and tends to peak in the early afternoon, near 13:00, once the thermal stacks onto it. The 11 AM no-riding cutoff and the fill-in land at roughly the same hour. Indicative for the north shore, no Baldwin measurement.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Baldwin is an access corridor, not a beach to hang around on. The launch sits east of Baby Beach, around the corner past the exposed reef, roughly 300 yards from the lagoon, and it exists because riders negotiated it with Maui County lifeguards and the state DLNR. You launch, you go out to the reefs, you come back and land.

NE and NNE trades work, and so does ENE, which makes the launch punchy; the wind is very onshore the whole time. Current pulls down toward the reefs at Baby Beach and Secrets and then on toward Sugar Cove, so a botched session turns into a long swim in the wrong direction.

No beginners, no teaching, nothing on the water before 11 AM. Baby Beach itself is families and swimmers, and no inflated kite goes through it. May to September is the heart of the trades; winter adds heavier north-shore shorebreak and surf.

The wind

locals call it northeast trade winds

Direction

onshoreNE

Kite sizes

456789101112

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: The trades blow day and night, and the daytime half is the stronger one. On this coast the wind fills in around 11:00 and tends to peak in the early afternoon, near 13:00, once the thermal stacks onto it. The 11 AM no-riding cutoff and the fill-in land at roughly the same hour. Indicative for the north shore, no Baldwin measurement.

Typical strength

Usually above 20 mph and often into the 40 mph range, roughly 17-35 kt when converted; use this as a condition range, not a measured average.

Works on NE, on NNE and on ENE. ENE makes the launch punchy, and self launching needs care in all of them.

May through September is the peak of the trades, and May through October is the wider window used for north-shore records. Winter brings heavier shorebreak and bigger surf on this coast.

Thermal or synoptic

trade wind

The quiver, in words

No Baldwin-specific table exists; these are indicative north-shore Maui numbers. A 75-85 kg rider covers most trade days on 7 m and 9-10 m, and the strong summer afternoons come down to 5-6 m.Add about 10 knots to whatever the forecast reads before you pick a size, because what looks mild from the car park rarely is on the water.

Dominant direction

NE, NNE, ENE

Forecast

Month by month

Jan40
Feb75
Mar67
Apr86
May, riders' month84
Jun, riders' month100
Jul, riders' month100
Aug, riders' month96
Sep, riders' month94
Oct, riders' month71
Nov77
Dec61

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

10Jan25°
15Feb25°
14Mar24°
16Apr25°
16May25°
18Jun26°
20Jul26°
18Aug26°
17Sep27°
14Oct27°
15Nov26°
13Dec26°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	40%	10.4 kt	ENE	22.7°C	25.3°C
Feb	75%	15.3 kt	ENE	22.7°C	24.5°C
Mar	67%	14.3 kt	ENE	23.4°C	24.3°C
Apr	86%	16.4 kt	ENE	24°C	24.6°C
May	84%	15.7 kt	ENE	24.6°C	24.9°C
Jun	100%	18 kt	ENE	25.5°C	25.6°C
Jul	100%	19.7 kt	ENE	26.1°C	26.3°C
Aug	96%	18 kt	ENE	26.4°C	26.4°C
Sep	94%	16.9 kt	ENE	26.4°C	26.7°C
Oct	71%	14 kt	ENE	25.9°C	26.5°C
Nov	77%	15.4 kt	ENE	24.9°C	26°C
Dec	61%	13.4 kt	ENE	23.7°C	25.6°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

sea

Standing depth

No wadeable standing area at the kite launch. You cross the shorebreak, go out through the channel and you are in open water; downwind the bottom is reef shelf with sea urchins rather than sand you can walk on, which is why booties get recommended.The calm shallow pool next door at Baby Beach is the swimming lagoon and is closed to kites.

Tides

Semidiurnal, two highs and two lows a day, with a small range: at the Kahului station next door a normal day runs roughly 0.6-0.8 m between low and high, and the yearly extremes sit inside about 1.3 m. Launching is not tide-dependent.Low water is what matters, because it brings the rocky reef shelf downwind of the launch close to the surface at the same time the current is pushing you toward it.

Temperature

26-28°C summer · 24-25°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or swimsuit plus rash vest are normally enough on the Maui north shore; a 2 mm top or shorty can help at dawn, dusk, or in windy conditions.

Currents

Current pulls riders down toward the reefs at Baby Beach and Secrets, then on toward Sugar Cove.

24–27°C water

Baby Beach is a reef-protected lagoon full of swimmers and families. The kite launch is east of it, past the exposed reef, and it is there to get you out to the outer reefs. Wind and waves are harsh, the wind is very onshore, and the water outside is advanced sailing terrain.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate to advanced. You launch and land yourself, and the launch was set up to promote advanced use and keep novices off it. Teaching kiting on this beach is not allowed.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavefreeridefoilingbig airfreestyle

A shared beach: swimmers, families, walkers, divers, fishermen, lifeguards, plus a regular local kite crew. Etiquette is strict because the access was negotiated and can be taken back.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Sugar Cove, under 1 km

Sugar Cove Kite Beach (Kanaha)Flash Beach

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No kite-specific rescue station. Maui County lifeguards work Baldwin Beach Park and patrol with jetskis and a dune buggy; they watch the swim zone and they are also the ones who enforce the kite rules.

The launch exists because it was negotiated with them and with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, so staying clear of swimmers crossing near the lifeguard tower is part of keeping it. Water emergency: 911.

Launch

Designated launch between Baldwin Beach entrance and Baby Beach, around the corner east of the Baby Beach reef, beyond the exposed reef, approximately 300 yards from Baby Beach.

Space

medium

Hazards riders report 21

shorebreak
current toward reef
designated swim zone
theft from beach
self launch/land required
very onshore wind
punchy ENE launch
shorebreak when swell is running
current pulling toward Baby Beach, Secrets, and Sugar Cove reefs
long swim and difficult self rescue back to the safe beach
swimmers crossing between Baby Beach and the Baldwin lifeguard tower
divers, fishermen, walkers, joggers, children, and families
fishing poles in sand
shark sightings
turtles
theft from beach bags
no riding before 11 AM
FAA airport waiver restrictions
sea urchins and a sharp reef shelf downwind of the launch; booties recommended
rocky reef sections close to the surface at low tide
cross-currents and confused waves over the reef break roughly 500 yards out

Rules & access

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. Do not walk through Baby Beach with an inflated kite, do not launch closer to the reef and the beachgoers, and do not launch anywhere else on Baldwin Beach. No sailing within 1000 ft off main Baldwin Beach starting 200 yards east of the launch-site sign, which is a designated swim zone; a stricter reading of the same restriction puts the riding line 500 yards out. No standing on the beach with a kite in the air, and no trainer kites on Baby Beach.
2026: no riding before 11 AM, and FAA waiver limits apply near Kahului Airport. County lifeguards patrol on jetskis and a buggy and enforce all of this.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Never walk through Baby Beach with an inflated kite.
Use the signed launch and keep the kite on the sand until you are going out or coming in.
Ride upwind early, because a wind drop below the landing zone means swimming back past the reef.
Watch for swimmers crossing between Baby Beach and the Baldwin lifeguard tower.
Leave valuables in the car; bags get gone through on this beach.
Nothing goes up before 11 AM here, and the FAA waiver limits near Kahului Airport apply on top of that.
Wear reef booties. Past the sand it is shelf and urchins, and a self-rescue drops you onto it.
Rig smaller than you would at home. Adding 10 knots to the forecast is closer to the truth than the forecast is.
Time the low tide. It is the same water that pushes you toward the reef, only shallower.

Getting there

Airport

Kahului Airport (OGG)

Route

Reach Baby Beach on Maui's north shore just before Paia, then walk east of Baby Beach and past the exposed reef to the launch. Baby Beach sits at 20.912665,-156.402724, and Baldwin Beach Park next door has the full facilities.

Staying

Paia is the nearest town; Kahului is the airport-side base. No spot-specific accommodation source was found.

No-wind days

Baby Beach lagoon swimming when safe, Baldwin Beach Park, Paia town, Ho'okipa lookout, Haleakala National Park, Road to Hana, Maui Ocean Center, and north-shore beach walks.

Photos

Paia Beach Maui - panoramio (1) — Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Baldwin/Baby Beach suitable for beginners?

No, it is rated intermediate to advanced; the launch requires independent self-launching and landing, and local rules explicitly prohibit teaching or beginners at this beach.

When is the best time to kite at Baldwin Beach?

The peak trade-wind season runs May through October, when NE, NNE, and ENE wind is usually above 20 mph.

What are the launch rules at Baldwin Beach?

Kiters must use the designated launch east of Baby Beach, may not walk through Baby Beach with an inflated kite, cannot ride before 11 a.m., and must stay clear of the reef-protected swimming lagoon.

What hazards should I know about at Baldwin Beach?

Currents can pull riders toward the reef and on toward Secrets and Sugar Cove, the wind is very onshore, and self-rescue can involve a long swim back to the beach.

Are there kite schools near Baldwin Beach?

Yes, several Maui schools operate nearby, including Kiteboarding School of Maui, Aqua Sports Maui, and Action Sports Maui, though lessons at Baldwin itself are not permitted.

Last updated: August 2026