Pāʻia Bay

Pāʻia Bay is the north-facing crescent at the heart of Pāʻia town, the windsurfing-and-surf hub on Maui's North Shore. Check the Community Water Testing section for the sample date, result and full Surfrider report. A sample describes the water collected at that place and time; it does not establish today's water quality. Check the live DOH status above separately.

Pāʻia Bay opens to the north Pacific, with trade winds and open-ocean swell. Pāʻia Stream meets the bay at its eastern end and can carry runoff after rain.

Neither open-ocean exposure nor distance from the stream establishes current bacteria levels. Check the dated community sample and current DOH advisories separately.

The Hawaii Department of Health does NOT routinely test Pāʻia Bay. The community-tested readings on this page come from the Surfrider Foundation Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer-led monitoring program run by the Surfrider Maui chapter.

BWTF samples Pāʻia Bay monthly using the IDEXX Enterolert method (MPN/100mL), and compares results against the same 130 Beach Action Value DOH uses statewide. See our overview of citizen water-quality testing in Hawaiʻi for the methodology and how BWTF data fits with DOH coverage.

Sandy entry from the central beach. Pāʻia Stream meets the bay at its eastern end. A single sample does not establish water quality across the bay. Winter shorebreak can be strong.

Summer mornings (May–Sept) bring the calmest conditions and the bay turns into a swim and bodyboard spot. Winter brings powerful north swells that put the bay off-limits except for experienced surfers and lifeguarded breaks. Pāʻia town itself is a destination — windsurf/surf shops, food trucks, art galleries.

Center of Pāʻia town off Hāna Highway. Short walk from Pāʻia town's main intersection at Baldwin Avenue. Free street parking (fills on weekends). Restaurants and showers nearby in town.