Before it was a sport, heʻe nalu was a way of life. The Hawaiʻi Surfing Museum is building a home on the North Shore to tell that story.
The Hawaiʻi Surfing Museum is planned for the historic Waialua Sugar Mill. It will trace the people, culture and moments that carried surfing from Hawaiʻi to the world, from Hawaiian roots and Waikīkī’s golden era to the big-wave frontier and today’s board builders.
Exhibits
- Duke: The Spirit of Aloha: The Hawaiian waterman who shared surfing with the world, with his surfboard at the center of the story
- North Shore: The Wave of Your Life: The scale, sound and human stories of Hawaiʻi’s big-wave frontier
- Women Who Changed the Wave: The trailblazers, champions and culture keepers of women’s surfing
- The Board Lab: Shape the Future: How a piece of wood became a platform for centuries of innovation
Planned events
- Surf film premieres: Saturday evenings
- Talk story & seminars: Board shaping, photography, ocean science and more
- Museum Sessions: A monthly live music night
- Annual festival: A mid-March celebration of big-wave season
The museum’s site also features a photographic timeline of surfing since 1890, profiles of surf legends and photographers, and a Nalu Society membership.
Planned hours: Daily, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Proposed admission: Kamaʻāina adults $12–15, visitors $20–25, keiki 5 and under free (final prices to be confirmed)
Find it: Waialua Sugar Mill, 67-106 Kealohanui St, Building K4, Waialua · (808) 491-0926