Maalaea Beach
Maalaea, HI
Maalaea Beach stretches along the harbor town's namesake bay, a long, straight run of sand best known to surfers for the powerful, fast breaking wave locals call Freight Trains. Wind builds through the bay most afternoons, and between the harbor traffic and the wave's reputation, this is a beach for people who came with a purpose, not to lounge.
A genuinely famous wave among Maui surfers, but the beach itself is narrow, windy, and short on shade, better suited to a surf session than a beach day.
How we score beachesFreight Trains is an advanced, hollow, fast wave that isn't forgiving of mistakes. Watch from the sand before deciding it looks easier than it is.
Free parking lines the road near the harbor and along the beach itself, generally easy to find outside of surf contest days.
A flat, sandy walk from roadside parking straight onto the beach, though the sand can be soft and the shorebreak drops off quickly.
Summer swells are what put this wave on the map, arriving from the south, while winter tends to be flatter and windier here.
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