Surf N Sea

This place is the BEST!
I don’t usually leave reviews, but this place was ABSOLUTELY worth raving about!
I’ve been to this shop a couple times when visiting the island, but i recently had my first experience with a paddle board and lesson through the shop and LOVED it :) I got a groupon for a sunset paddleboarding for two, i have never been before so i was a bit nervous. When i called to set up an appointment, Steve was extremely accommodating (I was just in the area for a couple weeks and they made it work!) I was told the time and place to meet and they took care of everything else! Niko was our wonderful instructor, he was super thorough and really calm throughout the whole thing! I almost fell a couple times but he walked us through everything so i felt very comfortable maneuvering the board. On top of seeing beautiful giant sea turtles swimming beneath our boards, cruising down a calm emerald river and being on the water at sunset in hawaii is priceless! i have already recommended the experience to a few friends and family who are planning trips to the island. I would definitely do this again and visit the shop… it’s full of merch but the lessons and the rentals truly made this experience worth it! Haliewa is beautiful, THIS experience beats anything you could do in Honolulu or Waikiki (both are WAY too touristy and busy for me). In addition, Steve sent me a text the day after just to make sure we had an excellent time… these guys are great, absolutely worth the love and support a cool place like this deserves :)

This place is pretty terrible when it comes to renting surf boards. The whole process took over an hour in total, inclusive of both checking out and returning the boards. One board didn’t have a leash so we had to go back after getting to the beach (long walk). When returning, they expect you to wash off ALL sand before they take it back or your stuck with a $ 10 fee.
The staff is unprofessional. I get it. It’s a surf shop, They’re not exactly supposed to be the concierge at the Ritz, but it was frustrating when they order you to put the boards back in the shop after you clean them, while they stand there looking at you. We refused, and left. Prices are cheap though so 2 stars. You get what you pay for, but I’d suggest renting from one of the surf trucks right next to the beaches instead.

I was in here a couple weeks ago with my mom who’s visiting from the mainland and my boyfriend! Ariel was the most bad ass sales associate I’ve ever come across. From sea to shining sea, she’s simply the best. We came in fifteen minutes before closing (what were we thinking, also I’m sorry) but she was super helpful, genuine, encouraging (my moms starting to move towards two pieces), and easy going. It was my moms last trip to north shore for her vacation and despite the time she still made sure we got everything we wanted and we’re happy with our purchases. The kind of person I later think wow, I want to be friends with her. Thanks again Ariel for all your help. Definitely be back soon!

First time surfing for me, and I could not have asked for a better experience. Karen was my instructor and she was awesome – friendly, funny, patient and very knowledgeable. She made tho whole experience easy and fun. I highly recommend!

Texas girls love Surf n Sea! From walking into their store and having the cashier Leilani treat us like childhood friends and then showing us what all they had to offer for us tourists. Not only did she tell us all about all the equipment that can be rented at really fair price points the four of us walked away with surf lessons for a couple of hours.
BEST MONEY EVER SPENT. Our instructor, Matt, was killer! Informative, encouraging, supportive and one hell of a teacher. I would recommend the North Shore to everyone who wants to step away from the touristy hustle and bustle commotion. The people are friendly, appreciative and genuine.
Loving every moment of our trip!

I didn’t get to check out the shop but I did get to use some of their rental services. We chose to do paddle boarding and really enjoyed it. It was only about $ 15 per person and they offered a military discount. The guy that was working with the rentals was really nice and helpful. Can’t wait to go back and try kayaking next.

The rental department was great, we rented a SUP for the weekend, had lots of fun. The staff inside was prompt and professional. Anyone wanted to surf or try SUP’s should rent there.

Great shop!
I did two dives with them and they are so Aloha! and friendly!, meaning that they will treat you well, like you are their friend.
I did 2 boat dives and I saw 2 wrecks and a reef dive. They are very helpful and the price is moderate.
I saw a group of 13 Eagle Rays, a bunch of over 25 dolphins, 2 turtles, 2 White tip sharks, 2 octopi (I pet one of them), tons of colorful fishes and 3 eels…
If you are in Haleiwa they will give you a ride to the dive.

My 12 year old son did the intro scuba dive with Bill the other day. I was suppose to do the same but I chickened out last minute because apparently, I’m more claustrophobic than I thought. Anyway, Bill was very thorough with the lesson prior to the dive. He took his time with us and we were out at Shark’s Cove for half the day. My son was able to hold an octopus and see a slew of fish while diving approximately 35 feet. Meanwhile, I stayed around the rocks and sorta snorkeled with my scuba mask. It was a great experience for my kid and since it was pretty much a private scuba lesson for him, I didn’t feel bad forgoing my dive.
I would recommend Bill as your scuba guide as he made my son feel comfortable. The only thing I think they can do better is having water bottles handy to provide for the clients (I was super thirsty — must have been the nerves) and perhaps even some snacks like small bags of chips.

Surf and Sea rocks! Compared to other SUP and kayak stands, they don’t rip you off by charging lessons and stuff like that. This place is straightforward, you get whatever you paid for, and you can ride in the ocean or in the river. I highly recommend the river. It’s a long stretch of water, so there’s always new things to discover, including turtles swimming along with you!

We did a two tank shore dive in sharks cove with Woody from the shop. They let us join a certification dive for a single student. They definitely had done a good job with her instruction. She was more comfortable in the water than we were. The guide gave us a lot of extra help and worked to make our dives enjoyable. Even giving extra help to one in our party who was not enjoying it that much and need some extra help.
I would go back in an instant. And would also recommend them for your open water scuba certification.
Everyone in the shop was friendly and happy.

Friendly staff and cheap prices at Surf and Sea! I came here with my husband and we rented a double kayak and paddled up the river. It was only $ 15 for the first hour and $ 10 for each additional hour. We paid almost $ 90 to rent on the other side of the island because they charged us for a full day when we were only out a couple hours. Everyone working here was super friendly and helpful. We even saw a couple sea turtles pop up for air. The cashier also noticed my husband’s military ID and gave us a discount. The view up the river is gorgeous! We were both really happy and had a good time. I would definitely come back!

Had a great experience renting a double kayak here! Short wait, easy to check out/​in, great price and was able to take my dog out with me. Best of all, we saw tons of turtles swimming around!

Used to shop here. Gone downhill. Service is a joke. Overpriced and only for tourists.

Had to 5 star because Eric remembered us from like 3 years ago :) Being Ewa Beach folk we mostly stick to our side … but when the fam wants a mellow SUP day we go to Surf & Sea. Rates a great, gear is solid, and there’s no hassle. If you take the time to really look they’ve got fashion treasures shoved in lil nooks all over the place. I honestly should take one star off because they need to maintain the clothing sections better but that’s just my retail manager expecting excellent presentation regardless of traffic and volume lol. Otherwise WAY 2 BE SURF & SEA :)

This is a shop with expensive clothes, bathing suits, sunglasses, and souvenirs. The most reasonable and fun thing to do is rent your stand up paddle boards and kayaks here. Located on the beach, you can paddle down the canal or out to sea. They did have sales on some of the items. Really nice people, fun, cool shop. Go down the canal, it’s beautiful like the southern bayou. Smooth water and lots of fun.

I’d give this place a 1.5 stars. I was looking to rent a surf board in order to get better after having taken lessons down the block. Came in, people were decently friendly. I explained to the rep that I was a beginner and looking to practice. She picks out a surf board that looked cool. I also needed to rent a rash guard, so another rep gave me one. I asked how much it was, he said they didn’t charge for rash guards (according to the price list). I also needed a waterproof case for my phone, so I asked if they had any. Matt, another rep, showed me this fancy, yet bulky, case that cost $ 150+. Seemed steep so I asked if they had something more affordable. He sighed and said: yea, but if I were you, I’d buy this fancy one. You don’t want fog or anything. Didn’t care, still went with the cheaper option to his discontent. Went to the water, the board was so unstable, I couldn’t paddle on it, much less catch a wave. Despite my efforts, I gave up and returned the board. Told them what happened, and the rep I returned the board to said yea, that’s not a beginner board there. No apologies, no let me not charge you for it, nothing. On top of that, they attempted to charge me for the rash guard.
Thought this was a fluke so I called in the next day to ask if they had any rental boards that are similar to the ones the surf schools use. They’re called soft top long boards or something. Was told yes. Got there, asked them if those were wider and longer, like the ones schools used. Yes, they are real easy to catch waves on. Went out there, got my a$$ handed to me again. These boards were easier than the first, but still hard to even get up. Returned them within 2 hrs. Was told these were old boards that they don’t even use for surf lessons. So basically, I got their surf school rejects. On top of that, I was charged for a rash guard AGAIN! Had to dispute the charge and was met with an attitude, but they eventually took it off.
My description of Surf n Sea is basically the equivalent of Abercrombie and Fitch. It is extremely busy, store clerks are all great looking, but unhelpful and incompetent, and at the end of the day, they’re just in to make a buck off you. They don’t care what product they hand to you, they don’t care that their stuff is out of date. Next time, I’d rent from somewhere else.

We came here in the late afternoon to rent a kayak. It was my first time in Hawaii, so we definitely had to take a ride out on the beautiful water. The staff were quite helpful, and very friendly. They set us up and even pointed out a little cove where we could go, since I get nervous around choppy water. The ride was much better in the little inlet area, since we didn’t have to avoid surfers and standup paddlers. There’s also more to see there, like waterfront residential houses and bridges. The water is more calm here, so it requires a little more paddling to get going… luckily I had a guy in the boat to remedy that situation haha. After our ride we spent some time just looking around the store; they have a lot of apparel and surfing gear for shoppers. There was always a staff member around to answer any questions, and most important they weren’t pushy! (I hate shopping in places with pushy employees!) As we left the store we saw a wild peacock roaming around the streets… is this common for this area?!? I definitely followed the peacock to take a few clicks on my phone, needless to say :). Overall, this place is great for renting gear. We didn’t have to lift the kayak to take it anywhere, everything was set and ready for us. I think the price was decent too, but since I didn’t actually pay the bill I don’t recall the exact amount. Next time I visit I’ll have to explore the area better and take another ride… maybe chase some more peacocks as well :).

3.5 Stars
The price point of this place really sold me. Coming from Waikiki and California, I had never seen such cheap surfboard rentals.
However, there is quite a trek to get to the place you’d want to surf. We had to carry the surfboards to and fro the area which was about a 15 minute walk.
To add to the painpoint, the sand was terrible and there were rocks everywhere. A couple of my friends got decent size cuts on their feet and so we stayed for only an hour.
Staff was really friendly though!

For my first surf shop review on my recent visit to the islands, I wanted to share a pretty cool place in the North Shore. Surf n Sea is the oldest surf shop in Hale’iwa (original location opened in 1921), and the store looks that way. They do a lot of equipment rentals, but like all surf shops I go into I am looking for unique t-​shirt and boardshort prints.
Unfortunately, I only found one T-​shirt print I liked. In addition, I had a hard time looking for boardshorts because they are not arranged by size. I gave up. However, the ambiance is very cool, and they give you a nice bag. They have surfboards hanging from the ceiling, including one ridden by the late Eddie Aikau. The workers are really nice too.
Stop by here for the nostalgia factor. They also have their own brand of boardshort that is only available in their shop.