Meet The Team

Kelly Potts’ exuberance for life can be contagious; all thanks to her life-long participation in sports. As a teen she formed a passionate relationship with nature when she took up surfing, marrying sport with the outdoors, and since then has centered her life around adventure and wave hunting. It is with no surprise that Kelly decided to share the great gifts she gained through surfing with her Maui community by providing free surfing clinics and retreats for local females, as well as for indigenous girls and women in the Pacific Northwest. Through the sport of surfing Kelly helps females discover their inner lordess, while perpetuating sisterhood.

In 2024 we are thrilled to announce that Kiki Martins has taken over the photography portion of our surf lessons. After years of working with our surf school, women’s camp and teen camps, we couldn’t be more excited to keep her as part of our ‘Ohana. We’ll definitely get her back out on the water but for the moment she’s enjoying her new position on the beach, with a camera in her hand and her toes in the sand!

From a small Louisiana town to cruising the Hawaiian islands, Maui stole my heart, offering unexpected opportunities. Introduced to surfing by a friend, it turned into an obsession—now, my fun includes kite surfing, wing foiling, paddle boarding, boxing, and kayaking.

Meet Maggie Venters! Maggie grew up in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where she started surfing at 8 years old. She recently moved to Maui to enjoy warmer, clearer water! Maggie loves teaching surfing because it empowers people and shows them what they are capable of! When not surfing, she love snorkeling, searching for waterfalls, and relaxing in my hammock at the beach. Prior to joining Maui Surfer Girls, she was a surf instructor in Costa Rica and San Diego for many years.

Natalie is from California where she grew up snowboarding in Lake Tahoe. “I used to come on vacation with my family as a child to Hawaii. I would sit on the beach and watch the surfers and told myself that one day I am going to move to Hawaii and become a surfer. When I first moved here after college, I did not have a surfboard but would borrow boards and go out on my own as much as I could. After many wipeouts I finally got the hang of it. My love for surfing grows everyday. Surfing has made me a better person. It has made me more humble, patient and loving. When I teach I get so excited when someone catches a wave because I know the stoked feeling that they are experiencing.”

Liz Smith has been our marketing manager since December 2015, and she is also serves as the surf school manager. “I went to high school at Seabury Hall with Dustin, although we were a couple years apart, but we reconnected when we were both on the

Carole Berthiaume was a surf instructor with Maui Surfer Girls from 2013-14. In 2018, she returned to Maui after a few years back in the mainland running her own surf school in South Carolina. Carole has 23 years of surfing experience including competitive surfing. Her degree in Marine Biology goes hand in hand with her love of the ocean. She is ecstatic to be back teaching surf lessons with MSG and had a blast with her first Teen Camp, also in 2018, helping to inspire the next generation of female surfers! In 2020, she transitioned from surf instructor to our awesome retail and social media manager!

Sharky is one of our token male surf instructors that has supported our surf school operations since 2006. He’s one of the best surf instructors on Maui and has contributed to many of our 5 star trip advisor ratings. Sharky is amazing with kids. With over 20 years of teaching experience, our students can’t go wrong. Sharky gives a thorough beach class that educates his students about Hawaiian cultural origins of surfing, reef and ocean awareness, and of course everything you need to know about surfing. He has travelled the world teaching and surfing world class waves.

We are so thrilled to announce the return of Jedi! He comes to us with over 20 years surf experience and a compassionate approach to instruction that our students really appreciate. He’s...

Gina is also known as MSG’s “ambassador of aloha”. She goes above and beyond to ensure that all our students and their families have top-notched customer service. She’s been with MSG since 2011 & has been many roles with us. She teaches our surf lessons, helps run the surf school during our busy seasons, and teaches and mentors our teen girls at our summer surf camp. Everyone loves Gina’s approachable and compassionate personality both in and out of the water. Gina’s travel bug has taken her living months at a time in Panama and Mexico as she loves practicing her spanish and surfing skills. So if you’re a spanish speaking student, you may want to request Gina as your instructor!