Aloha, my name is Martin, I am  the founder of Kapowui. I live, eat, sleep, and dream surfing. I live a block from the beach and surf every day. I've surfed all over the world and my favorite place is the North Shore of Hawaii. My life's calling is bringing the stoke of surfing to everyone who is interested learning. The feeling of surfing is unlike any thing you have ever felt before, it is indescribable, I call it  "Kapowui", which means "pure joy". Hence the name of my company. 

               I started surf in 1987 when i was stationed in San Diego stationed in the Navy. 20 years later, I started teaching surfing in 2007 and realized soon after that the companies that hired me only cared about the money. So i started kapowui in 2010 with 1 old beat up surf board an a couple or worn out wetsuits so I could give the real surf experience and not grind out low quality lessons for employers who knew  and cared nothing about the surfing or the surf culture.

               I personally taught all the lessons for 8 years while building the company and after many years of fine tuning, I developed the lesson plan that all kapowui instructors use today.  I incorporated my ISA surf coaching and aquatic safety training, my 30 years of surfing experience, 20 years of personal training, 6 years as a rescue swimmer in the Navy,  my advance knowledge in bio-mechanics & kinesiology for a lesson that is comprehensive, technical, streamline, safe, successful and most importantly, fun. My lesson plan is now used by many of the best surf schools around the world.

That's why I guarantee that you will be surfing your first lesson or your next lesson is free. I personally train all of my instructors and will not let them teach a lesson until they have meet my high standards.  The instructors will give feedback on every wave you catch and miss, break down everything you did right or could have done better, as well as cheer your successes and groan at your mishaps.  

          As the owner/manager, I rarely get to do lessons. So if you book me, I will assign you to the instructor who I think is best suited for your needs, aptitude, personality, age, and skill level. The more information you give about yourself when booking online, will help me assign the best instructor for you.  I look forward to meeting you and hearing about how much fun your surf lesson was with whomever you chose to be your instructor. Mahalo for choosing Kapowui!

 AKA KAPOWUI. Fun fact:  All American mutt and athlete, raised on  a farm in Georgia, served 6 years in the Navy as a petty officer on a SARS team (Search and Rescue Swimmer), was a traveling professional dancer for 10 years, I collect old VW buses, I have more surf boards than cloths, and I lived in a van for 10 years while building Kapowui.  Morality, integrity, conscientiousness, are not mere words to me, they are a code I live my life by.