Island Style Adventures Surf School

Steve O was a great instructor. I have health issues and am extremely uncoordinated and he had me standing up and catching several waves all the way to the shore by the end of the lesson. One of my best experiences on the island!

My two hour private surf lesson was awesome! My husband and I worked with the owner, Cy, to book our lesson, and received our lesson from Jay. Everyone was very enthusiastic and friendly. Island Style provided all the equipment we needed, and they stored our belongings during our lesson, and even offered to keep my rings locked up behind the counter so I wouldn’t lose them. After getting our gear on, they took some fun photos on the beach to remember the occasion.
Jay started with a lesson on the sand to show us the basics (this was our first time surfing), modeling the movements and then having us try them out. Next, Jay walked us down the beach to the best waves and we were off. I’ll admit, I’m not very coordinated and got tired out quickly from the paddling, but Jay had my husband up on waves within a few minutes of getting into the water. When teaching my husband, Jay was very relaxed, enthusiastic and encouraging. He picked out all the best waves, and even taught my husband how to start picking out his own waves. After each attempt he would review how things went, reinforce the right moves that were made and give pointers on how to correct mistakes. He was very focused on making sure we had a great time and on helping with our technique.
Myself, my husband and Jay were out at the same time as a group lesson from Island Style, and I had a great time watching some of the other students as well. I loved how one of the instructors helped the younger kids by riding tandem with them to make sure they got to experience surfing.
At the end of the lesson Island Style’s photographer Derek put together a great slideshow of our lesson, which was both very fun to watch as well as informative for analyzing your technique.
Overall, I highly recommend Island Style and will be back the next time we’re in Hawaii!

Great experience although I admit Steven did all of the work as I struggled to paddle out and stand up.
He was very friendly and professional. He even gave me many tows behind his board and out to the waves when I got tired. Additionally he was incredibly fun and friendly. I’d highly recommend him!

My husband and I had an impromptu lesson with ISA. We just finished our snorkelling tour and remembered that we saw a previous group taking lessons so we decided to ask about prices and availability. We were glad we did because we had a great time. Although I only stood up onto the board twice, I still enjoyed the paddle out and the waves. The instructors were informative and supportive.

I rented a SUP from the shop in front of the Marriott to surf Hanakaoo Point on Monday ¹²⁄₇ at around 2PM, not from Island Style Adventures. The Marriott shop provided valuable guidance about avoiding the «boneyard’ shallow reef and recommended I surf the peak north of the main break to stay away from the surfers. So I paddled out through the channel and surfed, by myself, the north peak (there were only 5 people out total). Eventually a class paddled out and set up on the main peak, 25 – 50 yards from where I was surfing. I was surfing rights, so they took me toward the students, but I was very careful to stay out of their way and was riding a totally different wave.
Since it was my first time riding Hanakaoo, it took a few tries to read the wave and took me a while to finally catch a wave. Just my luck is was the first wave of the set, so after my ride I was paddling back through the white water and breaking waves. Since I was alone surfing the north peak, I just headed back out into position. While I was negotiating the paddle out I saw the instructor (wearing an orange rashguard with INSTRUCTOR written on it) break away from the class and paddle for the left on the main peak. He pops up and is riding a wave with a good long wall joining with the north peak, and he is surfing right towards me. Being the guy caught inside and fighting the white water I did what I’ve done for 35 years of surfing, paddle straight out, be predictable, maintain speed and don’t let my board get away.
Then something happened I still can’t believe, he ran over me. He didn’t maneuver, he came straight at me and t-​boned me. I raised up so his board didn’t hit me, when his fins hit my board he fell and my board flipped over. Then there was a conversation,
Me: What the hell was that? What are you doing, you’re an instructor?
Instructor: Surfing
Me: Did you come all the way over here just to hit me?
Instructor: You were in the way.
When I turned in my board later I made a point of talking to the manager of the rental shop and told him about the incident. He replied the instructor is not associated with his business, he works for Island Style Adventures and they get these types of complaints all the time.
Why do you, as someone looking to take surfing lessons, care how instructors treat other surfers? Learning and exhibiting proper etiquette is an important part of surfing culture. Instructors should set an example and teach it… or the Locals will, and their lesson won’t be as fun.
Also, when I talked with other surfers who were in the lineup about the incident, they said the instructors spend more time surfing than teaching. My son who was surfing the main peak watched the instructor call the students over to where he was, catch a wave, paddle to a different spot, call the students over, then catch another wave. This repeated until the students got too tired to paddle.
Your choice.

Got Tyler and Thomas as instructors for our group. Both were really positive and their love of surfing was evident. Was able to get up on the board many times with their help timing the waves and progressed throughout the class with their instructions on balance. Splurged for the $ 25 photo CD at the end, with some really nice shots from the photographer.
One tip — the 8am class was a great time to go as we were nearly the only ones out there surfing and the wind was minimal.

Took our 8 yr old and 11 yr old out today and these guys were amazing. Helped out the little one when she was too tired to paddle and let the older one do his thing. Great group of guys!

During our Maui vacation, we took surf lessons here twice and had good experiences both times. My older daughter and I might have been able to skip the second lesson, but my younger daughter wanted a lesson, and the instructors were fun. Thanks Stephen, Tylor, Christian, Thomas, and the rest of the gang.
After checking in, we were issued rash guard shirts and reef shoes and then had a photo shoot holding a surf board on land with the ISA photographer. There was then a fairly detailed safety discussion and instructions on how to get up on the board once in the water. Each time, the groups in the lesson were escorted down the beach to a pile of surf boards that were selected based on our respective sizes. They were soft boards that were more comfortable than the hard boards we had during a lesson at Waikiki with a different company.
There was another briefing before heading out into the water about protecting the reef as much as possible and being aware of how to fall into the water with the reef below. We also were told about how to get through a wave on the board if one was coming in while we were heading back out.
Once in the water, the ISA instructors used a clever system to launch the students on to waves which better assured everyone would get to ride a wave. It was very efficient, and the instructors were patient and encouraging throughout both lessons. I though there was a good number of instructors with us. There were at least two ISA instructors getting people on waves and then another person sort of acting as a traffic control.
Another family in our group had a couple of kids that were not strong swimmers. I observed that the ISA instructors seemed to have identified those characteristics and looked after the kids to be sure they could have as much fun as possible while staying safe.
Island Style Adventures also rents and gives lessons on paddle boards. My daughters rented them on a separate day. On our second surf lesson on a different day, the wind was fairly strong and one of the instructors discouraged a potential customer from paddle boarding, telling them that they would not have a good experience due to the wind. I thought that said a lot about their integrity.
The ISA photographer took several pictures while we surfed. There was an additional cost to buy a CD with the photos, but it was quite reasonable compared to a photo package at another island.
In general, it was all a positive experience for us (…obviously, we went back a second time to rent paddle boards and a third time to take another surf lesson). The only slight negative was that the ISA photographer temporarily misplaced my wife’s credit card when we were buying the photos, which had somehow fallen in the drawer. We got it back after a little searching.
Some advice about surfing: A lot of the activity is paddling back out, so the faster you paddle, the more waves you can attempt to catch. Also, ISA uses «soft» boards which have a little more give. Without the rash guard shirts, you would tend to get a little scratched up getting back on the board to paddle back out. Last, make sure you load up on sun screen particularly for the backs of your legs.

Ben was a tremendous help and very knowledgeable. He is a great instructor and helped my son, daughter and I get up and ride a bunch of waves. I had a great time as did my kids. Money well spent!

Christian is a laid back rockstar of a surf instructor. This was my wife’s first time on a surfboard and on her second attempt he had her riding a wave with a big smile on her face. I’ve taken a few lessons before and those did not compare because of the personal feedback after each wave.
Island Style Adventure also has a partnership with a photographer who snapped excellent pictures of every success and wipeout. The cost is 25 a person but well worth it because of the quality.
Other highlights/​notes:
Class size was small 3:1
Bring some cash for a tip because they deserve it.
Bring a bottle of water for after.

Our kids just finished a fun & exciting surfing lesson! There were 6 kids aged 10 – 14 years old. They sent out 6 instructors with them, they were training some new instructors so we had a few extra instructors with our group but that was to our kids advantage! Some of the instructors were Andrew, Jay & Aki. They were all great with the land instruction before heading out in the water, then once out in the water all the kids were able to ride a wave after their first couple of tries! The instructors were super encouraging and created a positive experience for all of our kids!
Also the photographer that was there captured some fantastic shots and we were happy to purchase a CD of awesome pictures to take home with us! We booked through our hotel concierge, so reservations were a breeze. Great all around experience. Would highly recommend!

Great surf lessons in paradise! Geoff was a fantastic instructor; he was nice and patient.
They train you for about 15 minutes on land and then you head out into the water. The waves were about 2 – 3 feet at the highest when I went. They supply you with a rash guard and booties (yay!).
They did a great job and my guy caught like 5 – 6 waves! They have someone who takes pictures that you can buy afterwards and they are great pictures as well: D
A++

We had such a great experience! Geoff and Andrew were excellent instructors and got us on some big waves for our beginner lesson. They gave us great instruction on how to get waves and safety. Us four girls definitely recommend this surf school.
**BONUS Andrew will serenade you on the water with his EXTENSIVE song repertoire while adapting all the songs to surfing.

We had an awesome experience surfing for the first time in Maui with our instructors Steven & Geoff. They were both super chill, nice, and helpful.
I had purchased the 3 group per 1 instructor lesson for 2 hours. I think this is the best value for your time and money. They spent about 30 min doing basic safety and then you surf for about an hour and half. We actually surfed the waters with 3 other people that were in another group, but had both instructors to guide us.
A little side note–
Once we parked in the structure, we were a little confused where to go because it looks like an outdoor shopping area, but you kind of figure you just head towards the water and you figure it out. We were not familiar with the area, so if you are coming for the first time I’d give yourself at least 10 – 15 min of wiggle room just in case you get a little lost.
Also, they have a photographer and at the end you can purchase a CD for 27.00.
If you are in Maui I think it is a must to try surfing. We were in the waters at 830am at the end of Jan and the water temp. was perfect. The waters were also calm, so we were actually able to stand up on ours board and catch a couple waves!

Geoff Steve Thomas and jay bird were awesome with our family of 7… From a grandma to our 7 year old Marley who was given a great deal of confidence !!! We had a blast, the instructors were personable, engaging and cute !!! You MUST visit!!!

This was my second time surfing and I signed up for a private lesson because I’d finally started standing toward the end of my last lesson and really wanted to get to the point where I could catch a wave on my own. The school assigned me Steve (not the shaved head Steve manning the kiosk) and first he talked with me a bit about techniques like the pop up. Then we grabbed our boards and headed into the water.
Once in the ocean, well, this is hard to say since Steve seems like a good guy, but he really wasn’t much help aside from pushing the board into the waves. I’d say he spent about ¼ of the time surfing himself and just didn’t give much advice unless specifically asked for suggestions, or much encouragement. For example, at one point after getting beat up by many falls, I said I was heading to the beach to catch a breather and he replied he was going to surf until I got back out there. A good teacher, I’d imagine, would head out with you, say something encouraging, and suggest ways to improve, especially if you’re on a private lesson. I think Steve largely looked at his role as just pushing his students into the waves. So again, good guy, but just not a good teacher, particularly compared to the ones who taught my first classes.
The next day I went surfing again, this time on my own, and talked with Jeff and Jay, who also worked at the kiosk. They happened to be heading into the water too, and they actually gave pointers and helped me to get to the point where I indeed did catch my own waves. Lots of encouragement and advice, even though they were out there on their own time. Jay also takes the photos for students, and they look great. As other reviews have mentioned, he can also photoshop you onto a monster wave which makes for a great story for the folks back home. If I didn’t already have a set from my first time, I’d definitely have sprung for them.
Anyway, I don’t know how the group or semi-​private lessons would be, but for private, I think requesting Jeff or Jay would be a good move.

I always wanted to learn how to surf — so on my honeymoon myself and my wife decided to give it a try. We decided to take the 8am lesson. My wife was a pro right from the start. Our instructor Ben was a great help. However, I had a really hard time standing up and riding a wave. SOOOO I decided to try again.
Our 2^nd lesson was GREAT… Tristen was our instructor the 2^nd day and he was THE BEST! He totally got me ready to ride the waves and thats exactly what happened. I was riding waves like a pro. Just wish the waves were bigger.
2^nd best part is the pictures for $ 25 per surfer

I thought the instructors were great — they showed us the ropes in front of Whaler’s Village first and then took time pushing us off the waves in the water.
However, the booking process using the Unilocal deal was an absolute nightmare. Nowhere in the Unilocal deal does it say that it was ONLY for the semi-​private package. I had to escalate the situation to the manager and only after 3 – 4 calls did she agree to let me use the deal.
Clarify your language in the Unilocal deal or else it’s a pure bait and switch.

I would’ve given it a 5 but had to take a star off for the really hard time I had registering my son, not once but _​twice_​.
The first time I called to book, I was on hold and left a message. No one phoned back. I ended up booking online. It took hours to receive the email confirmation.
The kiosk is tucked away next to Leilani’s. They provide rashguards, booties, etc. We brought sunscreen and towel. My 8 yr. old son had a great lesson with Ben and the folks were friendly and helpful. They started off on the grass reviewing basics of stance and how to carry the board before trudging down the walkway to the front of the Alii to hit the waves.
Jay took a few photos and I was pleased to be able to buy them on a disk for $ 25. That was a total highlight for me and for my husband to be able to have those pictures.
I tried to register for a second private lesson, but the folks there didn’t know anything about the Unilocal deal for $ 10 off or for the free surf bag souvenir (apparently they don’t have any bags). I bought the deal on my phone to show them and they said to call to sign up or try the online enrollment. So I did. Except the website has nowhere to put your redemption code in.
I was on hold and then the gal who finally helped me had never heard of the Unilocal deal and had to call her manager. Again I was placed on hold. She finally figured out the redemption code but the computer wouldn’t let her do it so she had to ask for everything from me and start all over.
Overall, the registration setup was pretty lousy. But that’s not a knock on the teachers.

I had a great experience with Island Style Adventures Surf School while in Maui.
Jay was my instructor and trust me, this guy is the real deal. He loves what he does and it shows. He is more than happy to work with even the complete beginner and takes tremendous pride in helping EVERYONE get up on that board for at least a few «stoked rides».
If like many people, you have always wanted to give surfing a try, do not hesitate to go to I.S.A. The spot for beginner waves is top notch and it is located next to some of the best snorkeling in the world.
Bonus: If you are feeling wiped out after the lesson like I was take some time to relax with a great cocktail. Ask where you can find a «Back Scratcher». Awesome tropical libation after an epic surfing session is a true day on vacation that should not be missed while in Maui!