Sammy is incredible. I called him around lunch time to rent some paddle boards and he was immediately ready to help. He dropped off and picked up our gear. He was the nicest guy and s eager to help show me the ropes. And most importantly, we had the best day ever with his gear. Give Sammy a call with all your rental needs. read more

Sammy's Aloha Watersports - Kiteboarding Near Me

I booked a kite boarding lesson with Sammy for my boyfriends birthday and he loved it! Sammy was awesome! We wish we were visiting longer so we could have taken another lesson. Sammy is very knowledgeable, patient and flexible. I would definitely recommend Sammy if you're in Oahu. read more

Sammy's Aloha Watersports - Kiteboarding with Sammy - Kiteboarding Near Me

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Wonderful experience with Sammy's team : thanks to Calum Mc Donald and Cole. It was for Lily (12 years old) a very good experience on the famous beach. Calum attitude (cool, professional) inspired us. The next Time, We will Book with Sammy team for sure ! read more

Sammy is great at teaching us how to Kitesurf & windsurf. We wore special protective helmets that allowed him to speak to us as well. Sammy is patient, especially with me, who is kind of scared of learning new water sports at first. He is encouraging, takes his time, and points out specifics that I did well, and how to improve. At the end of the session, I have definitely able to stand up on the bird for a while, which is just an amazing experience! The price is quite reasonable, and we can also just rent equipments from him for the day, with very reasonable rate. Plus, he will delivery the gear right to the parking lot of Kailua beach, very convenient! We can wait to practice again. read more

Sammy is an incredibly sweet and funny guy. Great surfing coach and all around dude who wants you to enjoy Oahu and the water as much as he does. My friend and I took surf lessons from him and both us with no prior background were up and riding baby waves by the end of the session. He then offered to rent us paddle boards, snorkeling stuff for later in the week if we wanted to just do stuff on our own and let us at a convenient location to be able to take us to his favorite beach. His rates are very fair and reasonable and he's super accommodating. I would recommend giving him a call directly since he's mainly a one man show from that big turquoise van!. read more

Sammy was awesome! He was really engaged and analyzed what I could improve from grip to stance. He really cared about me getting better. I had a great time and made a ton of progress. I was so exhausted after 2.5h I couldn't fill the 3 hour lesson. So Ill work on some more muscle and endurance and will be back. read more

Didn't have a good experience. Got my lessons cut short multiple times due to technical issues with the headset and to wind conditions. Don't recommend unless you're staying in Kailua read more

Sammy is the go-to guy for water sports lessons and rentals. He is friendly, patient, has reasonable prices, and he really cares about you succeeding and does everything he can to help you. I was in Hawaii for one week and rented a board from Sammy. but then the kite I had brought with me had a problem with the leading edge. Not only did Sammy let me rent a kite at last moment's notice but he also gave me a bunch of tips on spots and forecasts, and followed up with a call to make sure I got on the water and had a good time. Mahalo Sammy! Highly recommended. read more

Learning to kite board is one of the few water sports activities where you really need a good instructor if you want to learn safely. The gear, setup, control, and techniques are both confusing and nerve wracking for newbies. Because of Sammy's experience and ability to teach students under stress and keep everyone around safe, he's the guy I picked for teaching my wife. Even as a seasoned kiteboarder of over 10 years, there's no way I could've taught my wife this sport without huge blowouts. Sammy was able to safely teach her all the basics. He not only probably saved my marriage, but also gave me my new favorite kiteboarding partner. Thanks Sammy! read more

PROS: ultra nice, super patient and caring to my 7 year old kid, not greedy about charging you " per minute", helps you learnig the basics , and then let you try, equipment in great shape CON: ugly sunglasses :) read more

Sammy is the man! I've now taken about 10 hours of lessons with him, and every single lesson has been a blast. I wanted to try kiteboarding and booked a lesson to give it a shot. Sammy's communication is great: he ensured I was ready to go and in the right place for my first lesson. We started out with the basics: equipment overview, how to 'walk the lines,' how to set up the kite, and some etiquette rules. We then spent time on the beach flying the kite, practicing kite movements and control, and body dragging into the water. Some things took me longer than others, but man, Sammy is patient! I ended up booking more lessons with him immediately after that first day, I couldn't wait to actually get up and ride! Each subsequent lesson, Sammy reviewed what we had learned previously, made sure I was safe and grasping the concepts, and then we would move on. Eventually Sammy got me riding! I have nothing but great things to say about Sammy and Cole (the other instructor)! Highly recommend Sammy's Aloha Watersports if you're looking to get into the water and try some new activities! Sammy will take good care of you! read more

Consider yourself very fortunate if you have the opportunity to work with Sammy. Besides street creds for kitesurfing and windsurfing, Sammy is one of the rare individuals you meet in life that takes what he does seriously, while at the same time having a good time doing it. And that's a good thing, since kitesurfing is serious... it's seriously fun, and at the same time, it can be seriously dangerous. Quick note, I approached Sammy, through Yelp, to learn kitesurfing, as a complete novice. I have a bunch of windsurfing experience (which gave me over-confidence, since it's completely different). Sammy's approach is to work you through learning the kitesurfing process, while keeping you motivated to get to the next level. He makes sure you understand what you need to know. There's a lot of people who don't care. Remember, kitesurfing is one of those sports that takes it's toll on those attempting it. Unlike windsurfing, where you can start on a big board with a small sail and work your way up to short-boarding, kitesurfing (in Oahu) demands that you learn tough deep water skills from the outset. Within three 3-hour lessons, I water-started and rode. Obviously, I have a lot further to go, but hey, at 56, I owe a lot to Sammy and his team- Derrick and Frederico. Thanks Sammy! read more

When searching for a surf instructor, Sammy's Aloha Watersports was the only place that came up on Yelp with 5-stars. That was the reason I called. Sammy's engaging personality is the reason we will go back. My 12-yr old took his first-ever surf lesson from Sammy today. We couldn't have asked for a better instructor. Sammy gives thorough instruction before paddling out and then makes sure to encourage after each wave. The oldest was the one getting the lesson, but Sammy made it a point to talk to all the kids today (even briefly put the youngest on the board). Go to Sammy, take your children, you won't be sorry. read more

Sammy's Aloha Watersports - Still smiling after a two hour lesson. Mahalo Sammy! - Kiteboarding Near Me

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My son, Alex (11 and a half), enjoyed his very first Surfing lesson today. Sammy is an amazing coach who cares about his customers' surfing experience by going the extra mile/s to make sure they get their money's worth. Sammy was great in communicating with us through prompt text and phone conversations. He is polite, committed and very reliable. We recommend Sammy and his staff to both adults and children. When it comes to surfing, Sammy is the coach you want to call. Aloha, Marty Nikou read more

All of the rave reviews on this page seem to be for Sammy, but when we booked and showed up to our lesson we ended up getting paired with a different instructor. We scheduled a 2-hour windsurfing lesson and, while the instructor was very friendly and clearly trying his best, there was a pretty sizable language barrier and he did a pretty poor job of teaching or helping us understand any of the fundamentals of windsurfing. We left making very minimal progress, learned very little, and were overall really disappointed and bummed out by the experience. read more

I signed up for a kiteboarding refresher lesson with Aloha Watersports in hopes of getting time out on the water for the month I was in Oahu. Sammy and Cole worked with me to get me out in the water right away. They use a  microphone system in their helmets which really helps with immediate feedback out on the water; I saw some other students taking lessons without a microphone and it looked tough! After the lesson, Sammy hooked me up with gear and advice on where to go practice and when. He also connected me to a community of other new kiteboarders so we could meet up and support (i.e. walk the beach) for one another. He was super responsive, encouraging, and always willing to share his kiteboarding insights. The kiting community in Kailua is amazing and I am so grateful to Sammy for showing me the ropes! read more

I wasn't satisfied, paid for 6 hours. or 2 lessons, ended up coming out like 5 times total for 1 full lesson and 1 half lesson because the instructor had a knee injury. I had 2 different instructors (neither were Sammy) and radio headset malfunctions, seems like a ton of time wasted. read more

I've had lessons with Sammy before, so when a friend asked to try kiteboarding, I immediately signed us up for a group lesson with Sammy! I got a refresher course and my friend got his first taste of kiteboarding with the safest and most knowledgeable instructor on island. Definitely recommend read more

Sammy's Aloha Watersports - First, learn to fly the kite! - Kiteboarding Near Me

Sammy cares about his clients having a good session. I had a rough day at Punalu. Low wind, I had the wrong kite rigged, touch wind direction...it seemed like everything was going wrong. Sammy did right by me by reaching out to me after the session to make things right. Thanks Sammy! I will definitely see you when I am back in town! read more

No client is too young or old for Sammy! Can he handle little ones? Yes. They love him! Can he take care of older folk? Yes! Can he teach private sessions? Yes! Can he take a group? Yes. We reached up to 10 people during one afternoon. If your child can't surf and wants to learn, Sammy will even ride the board together with him, so your kid can ride the wave pro style. During our stay in Hawaii we played in the ocean (SUP, kayak, and surf) with this one man team. We gained confidence to head to the flat island in the ocean and then he took our 7 year old paddle surfing on his board while there. He said it was one of the best days of his life! So we had to do it again the next day. Ü Our 5 year old also joined in. Sammy made sure everyone was safe and that we knew the basics before heading out. Tip: don't drink wine or beer before going out in the ocean. Just like with any ocean lesson, you have to be alert and able. Tip: Sammy can go to other beaches... Not just Kailua and Lanikai. The waves were rough in the eastern shore so he said it would be better to go to the Western side for our next lesson. Tip: If you have little ones, it's best to keep the group number down so he can pay most attention to the little ones. Sessions are normally 2 hours. 8, 11, or 2 pm. If time permits, Sammy is flexible. I don't know where he gets his energy! But he is boundless and always happy to be in the water with us. To save time, we volunteered to Kayak home directly while he loaded the boards on his truck, but he smiled and said "not on my watch." Meaning, he wanted to be sure he officially ended the session, on land, with everyone complete. So, while he may seem laid back, he is on the ball. He cares. He watches out. And he does his best. He is having a baby soon! Wish you all the best, Sammy! Ü your friendly visitors from Mokulua. read more

Awesome!! Would definitely recommend! Great instruction, friendly and confident. Will go back. read more

Sammy's Aloha Watersports - Kiteboarding Near Me

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Took 2 private surfing lessons for two with Brendan. It was amazing. He picked us up from our home and drove us to where the waves were. He was an amazing instructor who was very patient and had us standing on the board on our first time. He even towed me to the waves when I got tired of paddling! Such an amazing experience- highly recommend for surfing. read more

I actually had a surf lesson with Sammy's a few years ago, when he was starting out. I still remember it well. I'm not particularly athletic, and surfing was a "bucket list" item for me, but one I didn't expect to be good at and was a little nervous about. We were staying in Kailua, so not right on the Honolulu beaches, and I picked Sammy's because they were willing to offer private lessons and come to my location. We got off to a rough start. The instructor, Carlos, and I couldn't find each other--turns out I was at the wrong beach/park! Carlos and Sammy were both patient and polite while we texted one another and figured it out. Carlos was a great instructor. He respected my nerves and helped me take surfing a step at a time. In the end it was fun and I had a good time. I'd recommend Sammy's to anyone. read more

Sammy and his team were excellent. I received some coaching lessons and Sammy/Tootie were very positive and supportive of my efforts to learn kitesurfing. By the end of my tutelage, I was successfully standing on my board and riding the wind. They were also great about assisting me with my purchase of equipment. I would strongly recommend Sammy and his business to any friend or family member headed to Kailua. Thanks Sammy and Tootie! read more

Called up Sammy, and he had booked us in 10 minutes. Met us at the local beach within half hour for surf lessons. No one else locally could do this, they needed a day's + notice. Sammy and Michael took us out, and did an excellent job teaching us. They were even flexible and took my daughter aside and let her do paddle boarding after she had a bad tumble in a wave. Great experience, he is patient and relaxed. Just what one needs while trying to learn...especially on vacation. Recommend giving him a call. Jon AB, Canada read more

Sammy was great. He gave me helpful pointers for safety and to improve my skill set and assisted in launching the kite. Was very encouraging and boosted my confidence. I look forward to kiting with Sammy again. read more

I had a great experience with Sammy as my kite boarding instructor! I would never recommend anyone to try kite boarding without a qualified instructor and Sammy is as good as it gets! He did a great job of going through all the safety precautions and really getting me comfortable with the equipment and flying the kite on the beach, prior to getting on the water. Once I did get in the water I was up and riding soon after! Kite boarding is such a fun sport and Sammy will show you everything you need to learn in order to eventually get out there on your own! He can also recommend the right equipment, because it can be a little overwhelming knowing what to buy when you are new to the sport. read more

Sammy taught me how to Stand Up Paddle. My sister was visiting me from NYC, and it was both of our first times trying to SUP. He was excellent in making sure that we learned the basics, and that we felt comfortable before we started the action. Sammy payed attention to our mechanics as we went along down the river, helping us adjust our form so that we can remain standing up on the board for longer periods of time. I would definitely recommend Sammy's services to anyone that would like to try water sports on the island. He was more than accommodating to us, and in addition he is extremely nice, personable and considerate of a customer's needs and expectations. Customer service is ideal for water sports because feeling comfortable is extremely important when learning something new. Whether you are a beginner or experienced, Sammy can work with you, and he's excellent at getting you excited to try something new and challenging like SUP. read more

Update: Now that I've lived in Hawaii six months, I've found the location of our lesson was less than ideal. Carlos was still great, but paddling out to flat island off of Kailua beach was just not the best place and made me not want to try surfing again for a long time. Turns out not every place is super hard to get to and it's easier to learn when you're not exhausted. Other than that, still very much appreciated Carlos' lesson. ------- I booked surfing lessons for me and my sister as her birthday present during her vacation to Hawaii. We were with Carlos, and it was great! He was so patient with us, which was good since we had never surfed before and were kind of wimps :) I do have to say, if you're out of shape, it's maybe not the best sport to try for the first time - it was pretty calm, so we had to paddle out to an island off of the coast, and it was super hard since neither of us have lots of arm strength! Once we were out there, though, it was pretty cool and we both were able to get up on our boards. I'd advise wearing long sleeves and board shorts - I wore a bandeau top which was a bad idea, but they gave me a 3/4 sleeve top to wear thankfully! I just wish I had worn shorts, because I did wipe out a few times and get scraped by the coral. I'd also suggest really really good, spf 50 sunscreen - even with suncreen on, I still burned - wish I had been better about applying it to the back of my legs! Overall, the experience was great and I would highly recommend Carlos and Sammy! Looking forward to taking lessons with them for other sports in the future. read more

Sammy is pretty awesome. He gave us great instructions on land before we headed out. He made it so easy. I didn't think I'd stand up at all before we started, but with Sammy's instruction--I stood up on the second try! Totally recommend. read more

My wife and I had two great hours surfing with Sammy! We are both beginners and Sammy was geared up with big boards for us. I took one surf lesson before and there was really way too much talk before we got into the water. With Sammy you'll learn the essentials on land and then get right to it. When he sees you can crawl (not the swimming style) he'll teach you how to walk, one step at the time. He got us standing up on the boards in no time. We ended up taking another lesson with Sammy the day after (smaller boards this time) and he brought GoPro cameras to film us during our surfing. You'll only get things like that for free from a smaller company like Sammy's. Looking forward to coming back to tap Sammy's knowledge and share some laughs next time we are visiting. Highly recommended! read more

I cannot tell you how amazing Sammy is, but I'm going to try my best! My friends and I came out here to kayak and were trying to find a place around the area. I kayak often in DC, so i was expecting kayaking in Hawaii to be more plentiful. Surprisingly, other places had us lugging our own kayaks from their store, where you'd have to cross busy streets and through a park to get to the beach. So I gave Sammy a call and this is what happened: Things I noticed: 1. Sammy was super friendly.... the best welcome to the island I have ever gotten. 2. We didn't ask for a water proof bag or life jackets, but he brought them for us anyways. (Which I'm sure is standard, but companies typically charge for the water proof bag) 3. Sammy delivers the kayaks to you in about 15 minutes give or take. Wherever you are, he'll deliver, which was nice so that we didn't have to cross busy streets lugging a big kayak. He will also pick up wherever as well. 4. He helped us get the kayaks to the sand/water. 5. My friends and I hella struggled because the currents/waves were not in our favor that day so we ended up in Lanikai and couldn't make it back to Kailua. 6. We called Sammy up to pick up the kayaks from Lanikai and expected that we'd probably have to walk our butts back to Kailua. Before we could even ask, Sammy offered us a ride back to our car over in Kailua. 7. The price is super reasonable! Overall, Sammy has the absolute BEST customer service I have ever received. He also has a really cool story, so don't forget to ask! I've recommended him to all my friends who are headed to Oahu! read more

Matt is amazing! He is an excellent instructor who provided a strong foundation for my husband to kick off his kiteboarding hobby. Sammy worked closely with us on the changing wind conditions and made sure that we met up at the best location. We will definitely be back for more training. read more

Sammy is one-of-a-kind. I met him 6 or so years ago and since then I was always anxious to learn how to kiteboard because I thoroughly enjoy wakeboarding. Every time I'd be in town I'd just observe. Finally, I took the plunge and Sammy was kind enough to fit me into his busy day, last-minute. He is a fantastic instructor! He's patient, sweet as sugar, and fun as can be. He is passionate about his business, and his customers and it shows. I wish I had more time this visit to continue lessons; Next visit, it's on! I have a new found love for this kite, though I have A LOT to learn. I will say I laughed a ton and it was the first time, in a long time, my mind was able to escape from it's daily clutter of stressors and chaos. Sammy is a totally rad dude and I feel lucky to have him as a connection and buddy. I HIGHLY recommend his services. Thanks so much, again, Sammy! \m/ read more

Sammy's Aloha Watersports - Just me and the man himself. #SammysAlohaWatersports - Kiteboarding Near Me

Sammy came highly recommended to me as a great kite board instructor when I was visiting Kailua Beach Park. Sammy and Carlos were so knowledgable, professional and positive! Kite surfing can be a bit challenging to learn, but Sammy worked with my skill level. He was always so nice and accomodating! My only regret was not starting the lessons as soon as I got to Oahu. read more

Our group had a group lesson with Sammy and it was FANTASTIC! Sammy and Brandon were great with our group that included a number of kids. They even took our 7 & 8 year olds on their board all the way out to the island at Kailua beach. Sammy even surfed with my son! Highly recommended!! read more

Still striving to improve my kiteboarding and while in kailua bay the other day. Sammy stops me while sailing by and gives me pointers to improve my transitions. It worked wonders for my skill set. Just wanted to share that the man is a wonderful coach even when not hired to be. read more

We checked out paddle boards for the day, and Sammy made it super easy. He met us at Kailua Beach Park, where we had the option of paddling around a canal or in the ocean, and gave us a quick lesson before we ventured off. His rates were the best I'd been quoted ($50 per board for all day rental). Also very nice & prompt - definitely recommend! read more

Best place to learn how to kite surf in Oahu. Sammy is really nice, patient and a huge people person. Highly recommend booking with him.

the best kitesurfing instructor! I had two days (6 hours) with Sammy and he is detail oriented, patient and fun to work with. Everyone at the beach knows him. I also had the chance to witness his skills. Let's just say he's the best there I could find. feeling lucky. thanks Sammy. read more