Blue Planet Downwind SUP Coaching: Hawaii Kai to Kahala

Due to moving to a smaller location, the pandemic, and the high cost of liability insurance, Blue Planet no longer offers Surfboard and Stand up Paddleboard rentals or lessons at this time.  

We do supply many other independent businesses with high quality Blue Planet rental and lesson boards and equipment,

click here for a list of recommended SUP rental and lesson providers in Hawaii that feature Blue Planet gear

The Hawaii Kai to Kahala Stand Up Paddle board downwind run is one of the best in the world to get introduced to the art of riding bumps. With professional coaching you will be catching runners and experiencing the thrill of downwind paddling in no time.

For detailed information on the coached downwinders, including maps, videos etc. please visit: http://zenwaterman.blogspot.com/2013/10/information-on-coached-downwind-runs.html

The cost of a coached Kahala run is $250 (about 6 miles). For experienced downwind paddlers we also offer advanced downwind coaching on a longer Hawaii Kai to Waikiki run for an additional fee. The coaching fee is the same whether there is one person or several participants and can be split between the participants. Please keep in mind that you will get the most value from a one-on-one coaching session. The coaching fee does not include the equipment. You can bring your own gear or you can rent a downwind board, paddle and leash through Blue Planet at a special rate of $30 (per person) for the downwinder, which includes transportation to and from the downwinder. If you don't have a car, additional transportation charges may be incurred for a shuttle or taxi ride.

To check available dates and times for downwind coaching, please call Blue Planet Surf Shop at (808) 596-7755 or send a message through the contact us page. Please call or e-mail to confirm a reservation date and time before ordering or you may order the reservation and make a note of several available dates and we will e-mail you to confirm the date and time with you (or refund the deposit if we can't accommodate you).

Please note that we can only do a downwinder when the wind cooperates. We have good trade winds conditions for downwinders about 70% of the time, chances are better in summer than in winter, when the wind can be variable for weeks at a time. So, we can schedule a date and time for a downwinder pending favorable wind conditions, so it's good to have some flexibility. We need trade winds from the East or North East between 5 to 20 knots to do this coached downwinder. A good one week wind forecast can be found at WindGuru. This forecast is fairly accurate a few days out and we will confirm the date pending favorable wind.

A video of your downwinder is available on request for an additional fee (please ask to have it filmed at the time of booking).

Refund terms: Payment is fully refundable if reservation is cancelled at least 72 hours in advance. If cancelled with less than 72 hours but more than a 6 hour notice, a 50% refund is issued. No refunds if cancelled with less than 6 hour notice or in case of no-show.

Please read this post, watch the videos, and practice the flat water drills shown to prepare for a coached downwind run: