By 
For us who live here in Maui and the many more who have traveled here to Kiteboard, we all know how amazing this place is for Kiteboarding. Its consistently strong trade winds, warm water, spectacular views, and winter surf make it one of the best kitesurfers on the planet. What many don’t know, possibly even some locals, is the tenuous relationship kiteboarding has with the north shore of Maui. Under normal circumstances, none of us would be able to Kiteboard on the north coast due to the presence of the airport. FAA regulations prohibit flying kites within 5 miles of an airport.
It is only allowed here due to the great efforts of some people who got involved with the sport from the beginning. They helped create what is known as “The Waiver,” the FAA exemption that allows kitesurfing on the north shore of Maui. Without it, we are all without a great place to kite. What even fewer people know is that an individual, not the county or some organization has this exemption! It is currently in the hands of Joel Richman, father of Shawn and Jesse Richman, before him were Dylan Grafmyer and Martin Kirk. This is a considerable responsibility for one person and our thanks go to Joel, Dylan and Martin. What we all owe to these people too is our support and our continued effort to comply with the rules! This means navigating within the allowed limits and, especially, staying away from the NO-FLIGHT ZONE in front of the airport runway. When a Kiteboarder decides to break the rules, he puts our entire sport at risk of being kicked off a large playground! If you live here and don’t know the limits or are planning a trip here, I urge you to go here to get the RULES and MAPS! http://www.mauikitesurfing.org/ Check the rules and limits. Please, for the good of all, respect the rules. Don’t let Joel be responsible for the mistakes of others!
Keep kitesurfing alive on the North Shore of Maui!
Mahalo for your efforts, NEVER STOP KITEBOARDING! Aloha, Erik Hammel