Women’s Surf Camp Maui : What to Expect with Maui Surfer Girls
Surf Camp Maui : What to Expect!
Thinking about joining one of our upcoming women’s surf camps, but not quite sure what to expect? In this post, we’ll give you a peek behind the scenes, and introduce our key staff, so you can discover if our camps are the perfect fit for your next adventure. As with any immersive retreat, the real magic is in the little details you’ll only experience once you’re here, so some activities will be shared when you arrive at camp!
Are MSG’s Women’s Camps the right fit for you?
Maui Surfer Girls Women’s Surf Camps are appropriate whether you’ve never touched a surfboard before, or you’ve been surfing for years, but looking for a week to dedicate to advancing your skills, while enjoying everything Maui has to offer at the same time! Camp is open to women ages 18 and up, who are comfortable swimming in water that’s over head deep.
What is included at a Women’s Camp?
Our all-inclusive surf camps mean you can truly relax for the entire week, with no worries about schedules, driving, cooking or cleaning! All meals, snacks, beverages, activities, surf equipment and on-island transportation is included in the cost, so your budget is completely set! Daily surf lessons with our professional female surf instructors will make sure you progress your skills through the week.
Where do you host your camp?
Enjoy oceanfront accommodations at our private section of Camp Olowalu, with our own kitchen, mess hall, and bathrooms. Campers will share spacious A-frame cabins, just steps from the ocean, and only a few miles from our primary surfing location. The centrally located campground is convenient to the airport and all of our exciting afternoon adventures.
Schedule for Surf Camp Maui November 2-8, 2025*:
*all activities are subject to change due to weather or scheduling conflicts
Sunday- Arrival Day!
Our friendly surf camp team will meet you right at the airport baggage claim, and whisk you straight to camp! Each minute of the van ride, you’ll feel your worries and stress drift away, as you get closer to your week filled with the perfect mixture of adventure and relaxation!
When you get to camp, you’ll be assigned to your shared cabin, and lunch will be ready when you are! Unpack and unwind!
At 4pm, we’ll have our traditional opening circle, where you’ll get to meet all of the camp staff and your fellow campers, plus discover all of the incredible activities in store for you during the week.
Monday- Day One of Surfing!
Enjoy a hot cup of coffee while watching the sun come up over Haleakala and listening to the waves peacefully lap the shoreline. Some days, you can see the waves breaking just a few miles down the coast at our primary surf break. Camp Olowalu is conveniently located just a few miles away from our two surf locations in each direction! Depending on conditions, some mornings we will head to the beach early for the day’s land lesson, or some days the land lesson may occur right at our campground. We’ll load up the vans with everyone’s boards (complete with lessons on how to securely load surfboards so you are comfortable doing this when you are surfing on your own) and head to the beach! Each morning, Monday through Thursday, we’ll have breakfast around 630am, with land lessons and surfing from approximately 730 to 11am, before heading back to camp for a quick rinse followed by lunch!
Monday’s afternoon activity will be based on ocean and weather conditions! Afternoon activities are optional as well, and sometimes, depending on the staffing situation and popular votes, vans may head in different directions! Campers are always welcome to relax at camp, with options including snorkeling, stand up paddling, reading in a hammock, or the ever popular nap! We like to think of camp as ‘challenge by choice!’ We give you the options, and you make the call! We’ll always take wave forecasts and weather conditions into consideration as well. For example, if the wave forecast is better at the beginning of the week, we’ll try to maximize that as much as possible.
After Monday’s dinner, optional activities will include games or sitting around the campfire and watching the stars come out!
Tuesday- The Ultimate Self Care Day
Following another morning of coffee/eat/surf/eat, you’ll be treated to an extra special day of an oceanfront massage, (which will be so helpful to keep our bodies working after two days of surfing!) plus a plated dinner, served to you by our camp staff! After dinner, we’ll have an unforgettable ‘roundtable’ by the fire.
Wednesday- Give Back and Get Silly!
After a typical morning, Wednesday will also include a chalk talk during lunch! Possible topics include wave forecasting, surf etiquette, surfboard ding repair, or surfboard selection, all helpful tools in helping everyone continue on their path to independent surfing after camp!
Wednesday afternoon will consist of a service project, which may include a beach cleanup, or restoring plants to a natural ecosystem, or a similar activity to give back to this beautiful island.
The evening activity is karaoke, giving everyone a chance to get silly and let loose, bringing out the inner child and hidden pop star in all of us!
Thursday- Ships Ahoy!
The highlight for Thursday is a sunset sail aboard Sail Maui! Have you even been to Maui if you didn’t get on a sailboat? The answer is no! Let the wind whip through your hair while the boat slices through the Pacific Ocean, the sunset paints a magical backdrop, and you can start to reflect on the perfect week in paradise (sorry, this sounds AI but we promise it was written by an actual human – one that has been to women’s camp not once but twice!) We’ll keep an eye out for dolphins, and possibly humpback whales, as it’s the very beginning of whale season! As of this writing (September 22), we’ve already had a whale sighting on Maui! With salty hair and sun kissed skin, we’ll make our way back to camp for another incredible dinner before melting into bed, with the sound of the waves rocking us peacefully to sleep.
Friday- Beach Day & Saying Aloha
On our last full day at camp, we’ll start off the morning with beachfront yoga! After 4 days of surfing, yoga will be just what we need to charge up for the final day on the water. Friday is our beach day! We maximize water time, and give everyone plenty of opportunity to catch as many rides as possible. Lunch will be brought right to the beach so you won’t miss a wave! Our surf instructors will help you progress through the week, and we even have a full quiver of boards available, if you’d like to try a smaller board, or switch to a hardtop. It’s amazing how our campers advance throughout the week, learning skills that they’ll be able to bring with them to any surfbreak around the world! After we return to camp, we’ll reflect on our fullfilling week at our closing council, followed by our customary luau dinner, complete with local favorites.
Saturday- Airport Day
Everyone will enjoy their final sunrise at camp, and start packing up right after breakfast. We’ll provide shuttles to anyone heading to the airport for our campers with mid-day flights, or rental car companies for anyone that’s staying on Maui for a while longer. We always end camp with everyone exchanging phone numbers and instagram handles, with the promise to return to a future camp! The amount of return campers we’ve had throughout the years has been truly impressive, and we are thrilled each time we are tagged in posts about camper reunions in other areas of the world. We love creating this sisterhood of surfers!
Meet the Staff :
Lead Surf Instructor Kelly
Kelly’s zest for life is truly infectious, fueled by her lifelong passion for sports. As a teenager, she discovered a deep connection with nature through surfing, blending her love for athleticism with the great outdoors. Since then, she has dedicated her life to sharing her passion for surfing, inspiring others as a committed surf instructor and coach. When she is not on Maui, Kelly Potts hosts clinics for indigenous girls and women in the Pacific Northwest.
Lead Surf Instructor & Assistant Camp Coordinator Maggie –
Maggie grew up in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where she started surfing at 8 years old. Maggie loves teaching surfing because it empowers people and shows them what they are capable of! Prior to joining Maui Surfer Girls, she was a surf instructor in Costa Rica and San Diego for many years.
Camp Founder and Owner Dustin –
Raised on Maui, Dustin’s dad taught her how to surf when she was seven. She’s been a multi-sport water athlete ever since. Dustin has been an outrigger paddler, whitewater kayaker, rock climber, surfer and competitive skim boarder.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Prescott College’s wilderness therapy program, where she got her inspiration for Maui Surfer Girls during her thesis project on creating a rite of passage for teenage girls. Dustin’s work with the Voyager Outward Bound School also fueled her passion for personal development through outdoor education. What started 25 years ago as a summer program for teenage girls has turned into one of the state’s most successful surf schools and retreat programs.
Camp Director Carole
Carole has 30 years of surf experience including competitive surfing on the US East Coast & in Florida where she grew up. Carole started out as a surf instructor with Maui Surfer Girls back in 2013. In 2020, she transitioned from a surf instructor to manage both the retail merchandise and the surf camp Maui programs! Carole wears many hats but loves every one of them and brings MSG dedication and stoke no matter what she is working on!
About the Author:
Hi! I’m Liz! I went to TWO of the first MSG Women’s Camps, and I basically wouldn’t leave, so they gave me a job! I am thrilled to now run the surf school, handle the phones, assist with the website and social media, and occasionally show up to the beach and camps! I have a long background in sailing and windsurfing, but hadn’t spent much time on a normal surfboard. I went to camp to ‘escape’ my two small children at home and try to find myself again, and ended up falling in love not only with surfing, but with this incredible family that Dustin has created. Now, ten years after my first women’s surf camp Maui, I could not be more proud of what we’ve been able to create. If you have any questions about camp, please feel free to give me a call at the main number above (and clear about 40 minutes off your day – I can talk- especially about camp!) I pick up the phones 7 days a week, from sun up to sun down in Hawaii!
Read a recent review from last year’s Fall Surf Camp Maui:
I attended Maui Surfer Girls Women’s Camp in October 2024. It was an incredibly well-run program. The 5-day surf curriculum had a great progression and met the needs of brand newbies to more intermediate surfers. The coaching staff was terrific and really went out of their way to make folks feel comfortable and stoked in the water. The camp has a lovely oceanfront location with cozy cabins to sleep in, and we were served three meals a day of delicious, healthy food. Various afternoon and evening activities ranged from relaxing and rejuvenating to energizing and entertaining. There was a super fun emphasis on gaining an appreciation for the Aloha vibe of Maui. I would highly recommend this to any woman looking to learn how to surf. Treat yourself to an amazing camp experience!
The Origin of Maui Surfer Girls
Maui Surfer Girls was born from the waves of Maui’s west shore and the vision of one woman determined to create space for girls and women to thrive in the ocean and in themselves. Its founder, Dustin Tester, grew up in Lahaina, where surfing wasn’t just a pastime but a way of life. From a young age, she experienced firsthand the power of the ocean—not only to challenge the body, but also to build resilience, confidence, and community.
As a competitive surfer, Dustin saw that women were often underrepresented in the lineup and in the surf industry. Surf camps at the time were largely geared toward men and boys, leaving few opportunities for girls to learn in a supportive, empowering environment. She knew that surfing could be so much more than chasing waves; it could be a tool for self-discovery, healing, and empowerment. That realization planted the seed for what would become Maui Surfer Girls.
In the early 2000s, Dustin decided to channel her love of surfing and her background in youth mentorship into a program unlike anything else in Hawaii. Her idea was to create a camp where girls could not only learn to surf, but also gain confidence, leadership skills, and lifelong friendships. The very first sessions were small and grassroots—held on the beaches of West Maui with borrowed surfboards, a handful of eager participants, and the determination to prove that the ocean could be a classroom as powerful as any traditional one.
What made Maui Surfer Girls unique from the start was its focus on the whole person. Surfing was the centerpiece, but Dustin built in activities that encouraged campers to reflect, connect, and support one another. From group discussions about body image and self-esteem to adventures that pushed girls out of their comfort zones, every aspect of camp was designed with empowerment in mind. Many participants later described their camp experience as life-changing—an opportunity to see themselves in a new light, both on and off the board.
As word spread, Maui Surfer Girls grew steadily. Dustin expanded the offerings to include not only teen summer camps but year round surf lessons, and then women’s surf camp Maui, where adults could come to recharge, learn, and play in the waves. What started as a grassroots dream became a nationally recognized surf camp and school, featured in media outlets for its unique mission and welcoming community.
At the heart of Maui Surfer Girls has always been a belief in the healing power of the ocean. Over the years, the program has extended its reach to include scholarships for local girls, collaborations with nonprofits, and opportunities for women of all ages to step into the water with confidence. Through every wave, Dustin and her team have stayed true to the original vision: creating a safe, supportive space where surfing is more than a sport—it’s a catalyst for empowerment.
Today, Maui Surfer Girls continues to thrive on Maui’s shores, carrying forward the spirit of its beginnings. From those first borrowed boards to a vibrant community of surfers around the world, its origin story is one of courage, passion, and the simple but powerful idea that when women support one another, they can ride any wave that comes their way.
Surf Camp Maui | Surf Camp Hawaii | Women’s Surf Camp