"Scott Bemis" wrote in message
om...
Last March 2003, I rented a sit on top kayak (ex. portable tub) and
paddled right out of Lahaina. I rented from WEST MAUI SPORTS &
FISHING SUPPLY
1287 FRONT ST, LAHAINA, HI 96761, Phone: (808) 661-6252 ), $35 per day
for a sit on top kayak tub. The store is right next to the shore. I
left right from the store. This store has one single siton top and
two? or more doubles. The few hotels were much more expensive ($25
per hour) and one could only paddle with eyesight of the rental place.

No-one rents "slim" sea kayaks on Maui like I would prefer. It was a
beautiful paddle. It started calm in the morning, spotting a few sea
turtles on the calm water, In the afternoon, the northwest winds
picked up just as I was told by the West Maui Sports staff. I paddled
southeast, heading toward Mopua, turning around as the winds picked
up; landings were okay as I found breaks in the surf. There were a
lot of surfers out that day in March.


Not to nitpick but the "Trade Winds" are from the north east.

however, if I were to paddle again, I would head northwest towards
Honokowai as there were whales closer to shore in that area. One
note: I assume you are comfortable with increased wind and waves (the
sit on tops are stable kayak tubs in my opinion). My estimated speed
was two miles per hour. I normally paddle just under or above 4 miles
per hour in my sea kayak at home.


Whale season is October through March but the peak is in February. Probably
the best place to sea the Humpbacks is in the channel between West Maui,
Moloka'i, and Lana'i. That channel gets really rough by early afternoon
with the current, swells, and surface chop mixing things up really well and
is not the kind of place you want to be kayaking far from shore.

Bring plenty of water (I did) and wear a long sleeve shirt and pants
(nylon) or frequently use sun tan lotion, SPF 45, once per hour.
Apply before departing (I did) and once per hour (I did not as I left
the sun tan lotion in my dry bag behind me, stopping only to reapply
at lunch which was too late). I wore shorts and a long sleeve nylon
shirt, hat. With a sit on top, the parts of my expose legs became
sunburnt as I only applied the sun tan lotion twice hours apart.

Actually, there is a long list of suggested supplies for kayakers issued by
the Coast Gaurd. You can pick up the list at Go Bananas or write the Coast
Gaurd. Some are suggestions and some are required depending on where you
will be kayaking. I have to laugh at the list. If I carried everything on
it, I'd need two kayaks but, you see, we have some pretty serious currents
out here and it occasionally happens that people get swept out to sea.
Basically, one current will take you to the Phillipeans, the other to the
Alutian Islands. Either way, you're fishfood.

Definitely NOT the north shore of either island in December

On Maui, I second this (unless I had my own kayak, and a hired guide
or plenty of local knowledge). In many areas, I did not spot many
takeouts on the north shore of Maui - miles of paddling without a
takeout. There were lots of rock and cliffs, and heavy surf landings
on the few beaches. A helmut and previous experience in surf landings
would be a minimum at best. The tradewinds were also blowing from
that direction (blowing one into the rocks) in March. On the north
side, I would drive, or even better, bicycle on a weekend day,
starting in the early morning at dawn on the road to Hana. I noticed a
local bicycle club on a ride.


The north shores and in particular northwest facing shores of the Hawaiian
Islands experience very heavy swells during the winter months. The waves
are created thousands of miles away by storms in the Sea of Japan. It is
not unusual to have 15' seas on any given day. 30' is considered big and
only the most extreme surfers would dare. Waves higher as 50' have been
recorded (and surfed!!!) off the North Shore of Maui. Hence, I don't think
kayaking would be a good idea there, at that time.