Map › USA › Maui - Kite Beach (Kanaha) › Kihei
Asia-Pacific · Maui - Kihei · Maui County
Kihei
also known as South Side, Kalepolepo Beach Park, Waipulani Park, Waipuliani Park, Whale Beach
Nearby Kite Beach (Kanaha) 15 km · Flash Beach 16 km · Baldwin Beach 18 km · Sugar Cove 18 km · Lanes 22 km · straight-line distance
Maui trade-wind wrap
10:00
Not a morning wind. The trade wind on Maui starts blowing around mid-morning, from roughly 10:00, and builds through the afternoon, which is also when the shadow and ricochet off Haleakala make it shiftiest on this coast. Kona and southerly events keep no daily clock at all and can arrive or shut off at any hour. Indicative: island pattern, not a Kihei 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.
The wind
locals call it Maui trade-wind wrap and Kona/southerly events
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Not a morning wind. The trade wind on Maui starts blowing around mid-morning, from roughly 10:00, and builds through the afternoon, which is also when the shadow and ricochet off Haleakala make it shiftiest on this coast. Kona and southerly events keep no daily clock at all and can arrive or shut off at any hour. Indicative: island pattern, not a Kihei measurement.
Typical strength
Trades can go from 10 to 40 mph at any moment, and gusts over 45 mph / 40 kt are common near Kihei on the strong days.
Also on record
Station statistics for Kihei list an 8 kt annual mean from N, based on observations from 2014-04-01 to 2020-06-30.
The quiver, in words
There is no single answer, and that is the point. Kona and southerly weather often sits in the 10-15 kt band, which for 75-85 kg is 12 m and up, while the strong days on this same beach gust past 40 kt.People who ride here size for the lull and accept being overpowered when it fills, or they stay on the sand. Indicative: derived from the reported wind bands, with no local quiver report.
Direction to shore
Side-onshore only: N, NW, SW or SSW. Anything else is a no.
Dominant direction
N in trade-wind wrap; S, SW or W during Kona/southerly events
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan16
- Feb11
- Mar11
- Apr2
- May2
- Jun0
- Jul0
- Aug3
- Sep0
- Oct2
- Nov7
- Dec8
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 16%Jan25°
- 11%Feb25°
- 11%Mar25°
- 2%Apr25°
- 2%May26°
- 0%Jun27°
- 0%Jul27°
- 3%Aug27°
- 0%Sep28°
- 2%Oct27°
- 7%Nov27°
- 8%Dec26°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16% | 24% | 19% | 9.1 kt | SSW | 13:00 | 22.3°C | 25.4°C | 62 |
| Feb | 11% | 16% | 12% | 9.1 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 21.8°C | 24.8°C | 57 |
| Mar | 11% | 23% | 18% | 9.2 kt | WNW | 13:00 | 22.7°C | 25°C | 62 |
| Apr | 2% | 15% | 5% | 8.5 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 23°C | 25.4°C | 60 |
| May | 2% | 5% | 3% | 8 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 23.6°C | 26.2°C | 62 |
| Jun | 0% | 3% | 2% | 8.2 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 24.4°C | 26.7°C | 60 |
| Jul | 0% | 6% | 2% | 8.1 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 25°C | 27.1°C | 62 |
| Aug | 3% | 5% | 3% | 8.1 kt | NNW | 13:00 | 25.3°C | 27.4°C | 62 |
| Sep | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7.5 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 25°C | 27.5°C | 60 |
| Oct | 2% | 5% | 5% | 7.4 kt | NNW | 13:00 | 25°C | 27.3°C | 62 |
| Nov | 7% | 13% | 10% | 8.4 kt | N | 13:00 | 24°C | 26.7°C | 60 |
| Dec | 8% | 13% | 11% | 8.2 kt | NNE | 13:00 | 23.1°C | 25.9°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
chop/waves with dangerous shore break
Standing depth
Shallow a long way out - the shelf runs several hundred yards offshore at Waipuliani and Whale Beach - but it is not water to stand in. Sharp rock, coral heads and reportedly submerged trees are under it.
Tides
Mixed semidiurnal and small. The nearest gauge, across the island in Kahului Harbour, has a mean range of 0.48 m and a great diurnal range of 0.69 m over the 1983-2001 datum epoch, so tide does not open or close this spot the way swell and wind do.It still matters in one way: the shelf is shallow for several hundred yards, and a low leaves less water over the rock and coral heads. No gauge on the Kihei side.
Temperature
26°C summer · 24°C winter
Wetsuit
Rash vest and board shorts are generally adequate year round, given Kihei Cove water temperatures; colder riders may still use a thin top.
Currents
Some parts of the Kihei coast run a strong current; the local shorthand is that it heads for Tahiti.
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
6 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: small
Somewhere else
Kite Beach (Kanaha), 15 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Kalepolepo Beach Park is named as the best and most popular South Side kite location. Two other primary Kihei launches are at Waipuliani Park behind Maui Sunset condos and Whale Beach next to the Pacific Whale Sanctuary, both accessed from South Kihei Road.
Space
small
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride only in clean side-onshore N, NW, SW or SSW. Any offshore component and you stay on the beach.
- Read the water first: whitecaps, where the wind line sits, and whether any local is already out.
- Stay off the fish pond south of the beach; it is a cultural site.
- Assume a self-rescue puts you onto sharp reef or rock unless you know that exact patch of bottom.
- Keep clear of the power lines and kiawe trees behind the launch, and of the tourists who will walk into your lines.
- Treat Kihei as a rare backup day, not as a Maui kite trip.
Getting there
Airport
Kahului Airport (OGG), Maui's primary airport
Route
Drive from Kahului Airport across central Maui toward South Kihei Road; the launches sit on it or just off it.
Transfer
About 16-25 minutes by car from Kahului Airport, depending on which South Kihei address you are heading for. Indicative.
Cost level
high
Staying
Kihei has condo and resort accommodation along South Kihei Road; Maui Sunset is specifically referenced as a landmark for Waipuliani Park.
No-wind days
Options include beaches, water sports, Haleakala Crater, Lahaina, dining and general island activities; Kihei-area operators also offer surfing, SUP and wing lessons.
Photos
FAQ
Is Kihei suitable for beginners?
No, local guidance explicitly says beginner and intermediate kiteboarders should not kite in Kihei; it's used only by skilled riders as a rare South Side backup.
What is the wind like?
Wind is gusty and shifty because of mountain wind-shadow and ricochet effects, capable of switching offshore or dying without notice; only side-onshore N, NW, SW or SSW is recommended.
When would someone kite at Kihei?
It's used as a backup when North Shore wind is too light or offshore, and during Kona or southerly weather events rather than as a regular destination.
What hazards should riders know about?
A dangerous shore break linked to spinal injuries, sharp rocks and coral heads, submerged trees, no lifeguards, and a strong current toward the Molokini channel are the main hazards.
Last updated: August 2026