Canoe Beach / Hawaii / United States

You might be surprised to find that a lot of people use this area for canoeing, but as well as that you’ll find surfers, windsurfers and kitesurfers.

This area is at the north end of Lahaina.  It is a fairly small sandy area so there isn’t a huge amount of room anyway, and to add to the pressure on space you will often find a large number of canoeists using the beach to launch and land.

You get a fairly consistent wind all year round here, with the best direction being the south, southwest or northwest.  South and southwest are also the main wind directions, so you are pretty much guaranteed to get something at all times.  The windspeed varies only a little over the year, with about 15-20 knots the minimum to expect and 25+ the most in the height of summer.  The water is choppy in parts, and in others you’ll get decent surfing waves up to 3m high that give decent lengths of over 150m.

The facilities here are quite good.  There is parking close to the beach with plenty of space, public toilets and showers on the beach itself.  There are also lifeguards working the beach, just in case you get into difficulty.

If you are kiting here you’ll need to be careful of the trees near the shore, but for everyone else it is a safe spot to be as long as you are aware of other watercraft, including canoes.