Map › USA › Maui - Kite Beach (Kanaha) › Flash Beach
Hawaii · Maui North Shore · Maui County · Kahului
Flash Beach
also known as Naish Beach, Keyhole, Old Man's Beach, Naska Beach, Campground
Nearby Kite Beach (Kanaha) 1 km · Baldwin Beach 4 km · Sugar Cove 4 km · Lanes 10 km · Kihei 16 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Wind usually builds through the morning, but the 11 AM rule decides when you actually get on the water.
The wind
locals call it northeast trade winds
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
trade
fills in: Wind usually builds through the morning, but the 11 AM rule decides when you actually get on the water.
Typical strength
15-30 kt on a Maui trade-wind day, drawn from regional north-shore guidance rather than a Flash-specific station average.
Thermal or synoptic
trade wind
The quiver, in words
Indicative for 75-85 kg, derived from the regional trade-wind range because no Flash-specific numbers exist: about 7-9 m on a normal summer trade afternoon, 9-12 m early in the season or on a soft day, and 5-6 m when it is blowing 30. The trades build through the day, so the size that made sense at 11:00 is often one too big by 15:00.
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
NE, ENE, E
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°
- 18Aug27°
- 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 | 22.8°C | 25.4°C |
| Feb | 75% | 15.3 kt | ENE | 22.8°C | 24.5°C |
| Mar | 67% | 14.3 kt | ENE | 23.4°C | 24.3°C |
| Apr | 86% | 16.4 kt | ENE | 24°C | 24.7°C |
| May | 84% | 15.7 kt | ENE | 24.6°C | 25.1°C |
| Jun | 100% | 18 kt | ENE | 25.5°C | 25.7°C |
| Jul | 100% | 19.7 kt | ENE | 26.1°C | 26.4°C |
| Aug | 96% | 18 kt | ENE | 26.4°C | 26.6°C |
| Sep | 94% | 16.9 kt | ENE | 26.4°C | 26.8°C |
| Oct | 71% | 14 kt | ENE | 25.9°C | 26.6°C |
| Nov | 77% | 15.4 kt | ENE | 25°C | 26.1°C |
| Dec | 61% | 13.4 kt | ENE | 23.7°C | 25.7°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
Sandy bottom with the shorebreak right at the water's edge and the reef break about 500 yards out. How far you can wade, and how that moves with the tide, has not been documented for this stretch.
Tides
The outer reef at low tide is the tide-linked hazard at Flash and Naish. No official tide window has been published.
Temperature
26-28°C summer · 24-25°C winter
Wetsuit
Boardshorts or a swimsuit with a rash vest cover it. A 2 mm top or a shorty helps at dawn, at dusk, or when it is blowing hard.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
7 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large
Somewhere else
Kite Beach (Kanaha), 1 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
A wide sandy Kanaha/Naska/Naish launch area, reached from the campground and main park or from the Keyhole sand road and parking lot. Flash and Naish is an open launch on a long sandy stretch.
Space
large
Rules & access
- 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.
- 2026: no riding before 11:00, mapped kiteboarding boundaries, and keep downwind of canoe paddlers and windsurfers with a two line-length buffer.
- 2026: Kanaha and Naska kitesurfing runs 11:00 to 20:00 while the park gates are open 06:00 to 20:00. 2026: keep 200 ft from other ocean users and 300 ft from humpback whales.
- 2026: kite leash yes, board leash no, and carry a hook knife.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ask a school or a lifeguard where the swim zones, the windsurf area and the kite boundary sit today before you rig.
- Do not ride before 11 AM.
- Check the Kahului Airport and Kahului Harbor wind sensors before you commit to the drive.
- Give the outer reef a wide berth at low tide, and leave yourself a long downwind margin off the rock jetties.
- Leave nothing in the car and nothing loose on the sand; both get taken here.
- Park at the Naska or Old Man's lot; that is the access everyone means when they say Flash.
- Keep 200 ft off other water users and stay downwind of paddlers and windsurfers, which is the rule the lifeguards actually enforce.
- Watch for fishing poles planted in the launch area in spring and summer, and rig around them rather than through them.
- If the trades back east the trees throw a shadow over the launch; walk further down the sand rather than fighting it.
Getting there
Airport
Kahului Airport (OGG)
Route
Use the Kanaha/Naska/Old Man's access on Maui's north shore near Kahului Airport, either through the campground and main park or by the Keyhole sand road and parking lot.
Staying
Kahului and Paia are the nearest practical bases. Nothing spot-specific has been published for Flash and Naish.
No-wind days
Paia town, the Ho'okipa lookout, Kanaha beach when it is safe, Haleakala National Park, the Road to Hana, the Maui Ocean Center, and watching the north shore break.
Photos
FAQ
Is Flash Beach good for beginners?
The adjoining Naish/Naska/Old Man's area is described as beginner friendly and used by instructors, though the wider Flash Beach reef and jetty hazards make it better suited to intermediate riders without a school.
What is the wind like at Flash Beach?
Northeast trade winds typically blow 15-30 knots on Maui trade-wind days, funneled between Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains, most reliably from May through September.
Are there rules for kiting at Flash Beach?
As of 2026, an FAA waiver near Kahului Airport requires riders to see and avoid aircraft, keep kites at or below 125 feet, avoid the runway approach corridor, and not ride before 11 a.m., with Kanaha/Naska kiting allowed 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
What are the hazards at Flash Beach?
An outer reef becomes a hazard at low tide, rock jetties sit downwind, and riders must stay clear of swim zones and the nearby windsurfing area.
Last updated: August 2026