Action Sports Maui LLC is a fully Licensed and Insured training facility. Compliant with all legal requirements to operate these watersports activities in the State of Hawaii, and Maui County.
Our instructors are experienced, certified, CPR & First Aid trained to give you an easy, safe, successful and enjoyable experience.
If you have any questions please contact:  David Dorn (Owner) (808) 871-5857 or email contact@actionsportsmaui.com

The Vision: David's twenty-five year career in watersports training has spanned the globe and has encompassed a variety of watersports including: Sailing, Windsurfing, Surfing, Standup paddle Surfing, Kitesurfing, Parasailing, and Waterskiing. David created Action Sports Maui from his ten year vision of bringing the very best watermen in each field together to create an Advanced Water-sports Training Center that caters to the highest levels of each sport.

The Location: Maui was chosen as the ideal location for the venture because of the world class watersports beaches and reliable year-round conditions. Hawaii is at the forefront of watersport innovation and exploration, so there is access to the latest techniques and equipment technology. David assembled a team of dedicated watersportsmen and women to provide the very best instruction available, especially in the high performance ends of each sport.

In 1995 David Dorn was running a windsurfing and surfing school for the Second wind retail store in Kahului. The school soon reached its capacity teaching mostly beginner lessons. Then David had the idea to buy the school and expand its original concept to include high end specialized lessons. The school was re-launched as Action Sports Maui in 1996.  The first instructor brought on board was John Holzhall, long time instructor, and dedicated waterman. Action Sports was dedicated to total instruction 100% of the time. The instructors worked fulltime year round to hone their teaching and personal skills. Action Sports was able to offer a very high quality teaching program.
 Originally Action Sports comprised of two separate schools for surfing and windsurfing. The windsurfing School was based at Kanaha Beach on the North Shore, Maui's most popular windsurfing beach. Kanaha provided a variety of conditions that enabled beginners to sail comfortably in the mornings and the advanced windsurfers to sail in the afternoons. Lessons were sometimes given at Kahului Harbor when large waves made windsurfing at Kanaha too difficult. Starting as the smallest windsurfing school on Maui. David Dorn, introduced a windsurfing lesson program based on a combination of on the AYF (Australian) System and the other systems he had taught in Hawaii and overseas. Adapting the lesson programs to Maui's conditions was the key to creating a successful learning environment for the students. By expanding the lesson program and giving consistently high quality lessons, the word soon spread as students bragged about their success. Through hard work and consistency, the reputation of the school grew and Action Sports became widely known for its good beginner instruction and its High-performance lessons.

ASM provided the most advanced programs available including regular Wave Jumping and looping classes. Even instructors from other schools would come and take some training with Action Sports. Windsurfing Instructor Trainer Tinno Dornellas from the U.S. Sailing Association came to Maui to run a US sailing Windsurfing Instructor's Course hosted by Action Sports Maui. Dave Dorn and several other of Maui's other experienced instructors undertook the training to become certified under the US Sailing System. Meanwhile most of the other schools on Maui persisted using old-style triangular Dacron sails with tie on booms for their school sails. (which have been out of date for over fifteen years), Action Sports Windsurfing School then introduced custom made sails by "Simmer" to their beginner fleet.  These sails were designed for performance in beginner conditions. The school grew with the regular addition of the best equipment available. Even the beginner rigs had lightweight carbon-fiber masts and booms. The quiver of sails are custom-made wave sails for easy handling and performance. The Action philosophy is to give each student the best equipment and best techniques to ensure their success. The Action Sports Windsurfing School now has the largest customer service van on the island containing the best fleet of windsurfing equipment available. Up to 25 fully rigged current lightweight wave sails rigged with carbon masts are on hand for the students so that they can have the most suitable sail choice depending on the changing conditions, body size and type, fitness level and their progress.
  The Action Surfing School was the first north shore based surfing school on the island. Breaking away from the standard practice of teaching at a single location only, the lessons would be taught at many different locations to take advantage of the best wave conditions on each day. The surfing school's lesson program was adapted from the ASP teaching system that David Dorn was certified on in Australia and on the teaching system used by John Holzhall in his Florida based surfing school. The original board quiver was expanded with an increased  range of board sizes to accommodate any size of surfer, this lead to the greater success rate amongst all beginner surfers in our programs. Regular classes beginner/intermediate are still taught seven days a week. Private "surfaris" were created for advanced surfers to get to the lesser known breaks. ASM  began to run Surf Camps for Large and small groups, camp dates were later extended year-round. The Surfing camps provided a combination of training and accommodation. Surfing for High School Sport groups became popular local school students, these camps are held during school vacations. Groups and tours were created to accommodate any number of surfers. ASM always maintains a high instructor to student ratio, to ensure that every student receives the maximum attention. Action Sports travels island wide to make the most of the available conditions. Since then, Action Surf school moved its baseyard and core of operations to Kihei on Maui's south shore, and still makes regular trips to the north shore as conditions dictate.
 
PRE-HISTORY: David and his brother Tony Dorn already had extensive sports kite flying experience from Australia. Since childhood, the Dorn brothers grew up surfing, sailing and kite-flying and experimenting with all types of sports kites. They used inflatable kites in the 1970's, using the kites for traction, while they rode their bicycle tandem. By the 1980's the Dorn brothers, had experimented with Kite "stacking" and other multi-kite configurations. Together they developed a kite harness system to help them control the power of their custom built Ten-tier dragon kite. The Dragon had a combined surface area of 122sq ft. The Dorn's dragon kite was a hit at the "festival of the winds", kite fair in Sydney and was flown at locations all over Sydney from Long reef and the northern beaches to the Kurnell sand dunes in the south. Kiteflying and other forms of flying and gliding continued to fascinate the Dorn boys throughout the 80's. Involved in skiing and windsufing for many years, David experimented with Snow-windsurfing, working with other innovators, inventors and pioneers. David became Austrailan windskiing champion for several years and held the Australian Windskiing speed record. David's career then included: training, an internship and employment with Hamilton Island Watersports on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, doing commercial waterskiing and parasailing operations. The safety protocols and methodology that David learned from parasailing would come in handy when setting out the first kitesurfing protocols in later years.  David then focused his career on windsurfing until moving to Maui in the late 1990's.

The birth of Kitesurfing: When kitesurfing first appeared on Maui, it was a rarity indeed. The first to try it were Laird Hamilton, Mike Waltz and a few other adventurous watermen. At first it was highly experimental, with equipment borrowed from tow-surf, windsurf, and waterskiing. Maui's strong winds quickly demonstrated the inadequacies of the existing techniques and equipment. Kitesurfing came under close scrutiny as to its safety and it was for a time viewed as a hazard to public safety. The pioneers started to adapt their skills and equipment to the local conditions, and the sport slowly took shape. When the wipika company eventually developed an inflatable kite that could be relaunched from the water, then Action Instructor David Dorn started looking seriously into the new craft.

In 1996 Action Sports started researching the then obscure sport of Kitesurfing, with the help of sports earliest promoter Joe Koehl. David Dorn and John Holzhall were convinced that the sport had a great potential. Joe approached David and John with the idea of starting a kitesurfing school. Joe lent them their first Wipika kite to experiment with.  
The instructor team at Action Sports gathered all the information they could and trained on every piece of equipment that they could get their hands on, some of which they had to make for themselves. Being experienced instructors they sought the advice of the best kitesurfers of the day and gained even more knowledge through their personal experimentation and the experiences of other watermen. By then they were completely hooked on kitesurfing and would go and train every afternoon after teaching windsurfing all day. They made quite a spectacle as they carried their kitesurfing contraptions past the bemused and skeptical windsurfing crowd. They paid their dues and eventually more heads started turning as windsurfers took notice. At the time there were only a handful of guys kitesurfing on Maui. Notably, Lou Wainman and Elliot Leboe were usually kiting at uppers and about six other guys you could call regulars.
Action Sports officially launched its kitesurfing instructional program in 1997 with the help of Marcus Austin (kiteboarder pioneer) and Sierra Emory (Professional wind/Kitesurfer). The lesson program was born out of the need for safety and simplicity. The equipment was very basic to begin with, the standard 5.0m wipika was the first kite and only inflatable kite available, this plus a custom bars, and boards, and some other ram-air sports kites for trainers. The equipment was tested and refined to make it more controllable, new automatic safety releases were incorporated to improve safety and the emphasis of the lesson focused on maintaining control even in the most extreme conditions. Each student learns the safety drills thoroughly before flying the full power kites. There were two strong public misconceptions about kitesurfing that we had to overcome; one was that kitesurfing was dangerous, and the second was that you didn't need any training to kitesurf. We eventually convinced the majority that kitesurfing done properly is (relatively) safe, we did this by demonstrating good kitesurfing practices ourselves and promoting safe practices to other kitesurfers. We are not able to convince all the die-hards that they should take a lesson first, but the unfortunate experiences (kite-mares) of the self taught who tried to muscle the kite are testimony to the benefits of a basic lesson.

In 1998 the first Kitesurfing World Competition was held on Maui, with the Pioneers and innovators competing alongside each other. The contest sparked the public's imagination and showcased the sport as a viable and exciting sport. There were disciplines in Waves, Speed and course racing. The first world champ was Marcus Austin, (Action Sports first kitesurfing instructor). The public perception of the sport improved greatly over the next few years and the accessibility to a wider range of people enhanced its appeal. The training programs gained popularity and public approval. In 1998 We had a quiver of Wipika Classic kites 3.5m, 5.0m, and 8.5m. a set of ram-air trainers, and a unique set of Custom made heavy duty Wipikas 3.5m, 5.0m, and 8.5m. We had Jeff Timpone shape our custom direction kiteboards, and used some reel bars, and the f-one directional kiteboards, and a few wakeboards. We custom made our bars and safety systems to meet our requirements. Action Sports Kitesurfing school continued to improve and expand on the training techniques by teaching a high volume of lessons in ideal kitesurfing conditions. The core of Maui kiteboarders and instructors created the KISS (Kitesurfing International Safety System) , the first structured training system. Action Sports was the first school to offer the KISS program and hosted students and instructors from all over the world in the training programs. Instructors would come to Maui to be trained under the KISS system. and take the techniques, methods and training back to use in their home countries. Kiss instructors trainers trained at Action Sports included, David Dorn &  John Holzhall, and produced instructor trainers from Australia, Germany, USA, Japan, and Mexico. The KISS techniques became the first standard for teaching and was the basis of all the other systems that followed. The KISS produced the first online safety information about the sport in the form of their KISS Online Kiteboard Manual, and several other informational websites. Now students of all abilities come from around the world to train at Action Sports Maui. After the first Two Lines kites had gained popularity, Naish Sails Hawaii started manufacturing kites.

In 1999 Naish quickly became the industry leader with the release of the AR3.5. That first two-line Naish kite had many improvements over the Wipikas, and a higher manufacturing quality. The school acquired several of the first Naish kites made and put them into service alongside the Wipikas. Then Naish released the AR5, the first production four-line kitesurfing kite. This raised the stakes, and gave the sport a performance edge it had been lacking. Suddenly kiteboarders could go upwind more easily, and they had more power control with the first Trim loop. in 1999 Action Sports introduced the four-line kites for advanced lessons only. They kite safety system was not as efficient or reliable as the two line system used at the time. The next kite came along in the form of the ARX. Which had some refinements that led to its wider acceptance in the community. Action Sports worked with designers to improve the safety systems, and created a safer control-bar system for intermediate students, and created one of the first custom trim straps for kitebars.
In November 2000 Action Sports Maui joined forces with a paragliding school on the Island. Many paraglider pilots were getting into kitesurfing and vice versa, so the two sports were appealing to each other. Some paragliding instructors, trained in kitesurfing at Kanaha and eventually trained with Action Sports to become certified Kitesurfing Instructors. Action Sports offered Paragliding courses for a time. In 2001 Action Sports co-hosted the WIPIKA kiteboard instructor course with instructor trainer Paul Menta. Paul gained the KISS instructor Certification equivalency, The WIPIKA System was the second internationally recognized kitesurfing training system available.  The WIPIKA program was included in the Action Sports curriculum, and further enhanced the kiteboarding Program.  In 2001-02 Action Sports incorporated the Naish X2 Kites into the school Program. Custom directional Kiteboards from Cabrinha were incorporated into the fleet. Action Sports X2's were are leap forward in reliability and performance. In 2002 Action sports instructors teamed up with the IKO creator, to run the first IKO instructor training on Maui. The first course was co-hosted by Action Sports and run by Eric Beaudonnet. Also the Windsurfing Instructors added Mistral Boards and Gaastra Sails to their quivers.  In 2003 Action sports hosted the IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) Instructor Training program with instructor trainer Darren Marshall from Australia. The course was at the time the fastest growing system, and built on the previous programs of the Wipika schools. The course confirmed the fact that Hawaii was still at the forefront of teaching and with the instructors of the several systems sharing knowledge and experiences, the course became an instructional summit with a great deal of new information for all the participants. All the Instructors certified at the course came away with a great deal of insight into the latest teaching methodology. Jimmy Lewis provided us with some demo directional boards, and some Alex Augerra custom kiteboards were brought in too. Also in 2003 KISS instructor Trainer John Holzhall, became the first Hawaiian based PASA kiteboard instructor Trainer. John went to Florida to train again with PASA Kiteboarding Instructor Trainer. Paul Menta (formerly the Wipika I.T.). John brought back the core of the PASA training to compliment the Action Sports programs. In late 2003 The KISS offered equivalency for PASA level 2 Instructors and IKO L2. Bringing the different standards closer together. 2004 John Holzhall created the KITES (Kiteboarding Instruction Training Evaluation System) which was an impartial set of standards that instructors, could be measured by, for a uniformity of teaching standards and abilities. John also produced a kiteboarding book "Kiteboarding's Simple Plan" and DVD to back up the information in the KITES system. Which is available to students and instructors in all teaching systems. Action Sports endorsed the KITES system and is the first school in Hawaii to implement the latest teaching methodology into their programs. In 2004 IKO has offered equivalency to PASA instructors. And the KITES products were officially recognized and endoresed by the KISS program. Furthering the unification of teaching systems. David prototyped and developed the first four-line pulley kitebar. John at KITES released his updated Book and DVD titled "Secrets of Kiteboarding". Action Sports continues to research and explore every new development in Kiteboarding equipment, techniques and teaching methods to stay firmly at the forefront of kiteboarding instruction. April 2005, Action Sports hosts another IKO instructor course, training eleven new candidates, into the system. In 2005 ASM had co-developed the "first-line" teaching techniques with the KITES creator. The new Naish Torch, Boxer & Raven (Five-line kites) brought into the teaching program brought more versatility and easier accessibility to kiteboarders. David continued to refine the 5th line kiteboarding techniques he used in the school through the summer, and even won the 2005 Navman kiteboarding speed title using his 5-line kites. The kite program at Action Sports was unique and way ahead of any other school in the state. In 2006 Action Sports introduced "Bow kite" techniques to the program. Action Sports originally pioneered the Reverse launch bridle and pulley bar technology years before the release of the product. Action Sports was already up and running with the appropriate teaching methods applicable to the newest bow-kite designs that are becoming increasingly popular. Naish Shockwave were are at the center of the Action Sports SLE kite program. After teaching kiteboarding full-time for over 9-years, ASM had tried and tested every available teaching technique, and (having originally developed most of them) has now moved on to their latest format. The current methods are highly evolved and have a solid foundation from years of development. The current Action Sports Training programs offer students more hands on experience with the core technique. Now students get way more "quality" water time, reinforcing their positive experiences. Students just learn better and faster, with a greater feeling of confidence and control. In 2006 Action Sports Maui celebrated 10 years in business. ASM continued to research new and better teaching methods, and will continue to keep its eyes on the future trends of watersports to anticipate the demands of the future watersports students. In April 2006 Action Sports Maui's founder, and instructor trainer, David Dorn undertook  specialized training to become an IKO certified Instructor Trainer/examiner. Training with the IKO's founder, and training master, Eric Beaudonnat from the Dominican Republic.  Together they ran a series of instructor training clinics, using the latest instructional techniques, according to the official standards of the system. David and Eric completed training courses on Oahu and Maui, including safety training with the County lifeguards At Kailua beach on Oahu, and Kanaha Beach on Maui. The lifeguard training utilized the jet skis, in kite recovery and rescue procedures. David also acquired a special certification to become an instructor in Medic FirstAid training. David became one of the top 14 IKO examiners in the world. David started running the IKO kiteboarding Instructor training courses, about twice a year. MedicFirst Aid courses were then offered in conjunction with the ongoing instructor training program. In 2007 Action Sports took the lead with the most innovative training programs yet conceived. Combining the very best short line techniques and flat kite technology, The kiteboarding program offered the safest and most progressive learning method to take a novice to the riding level in 4-5hours. The introduction of the range of user friendly bow-kite/SLE-kites has created the demand for the advanced training on the latest gear. In 2007 Action Sports windsurf school shifted gears again, and in collaboration with HotSailsMaui has reequipped with a stunning quiver of custom-made state-of-the-art sails that utilize the lightweight narrow mast (RDM) technologies and unique boom systems. The Windsurfing school also welcomed the addition of new Naish sailboards including the Kailua wide style models, Titans and other performance models. Action Kite School has added a new and improved Kite customer service vehicle. This exclusive support vehicle will be on hand at the kite-beach location for all the student needs. Combined with our extensive new XI Bow-Kite quivers and progressive range of kiteboards and customized MLL system bars. In 2007 ASM launched their new Kites4Kids programs, which now leads the way for kids of all ages to gain access to the sport. In 2007 Our "Youth Power", windsurfing Kids Summer camp series now runs all summer long with regular weekly camps, and large kids groups. Kids from 6yrs and up can participate. Action Surfing School now offers Stand-up paddleboard lessons. The break out popularity of this sport has transformed surfing, and offers a unique experience for all ages. our new school boards are super stable, and give access to people with less than perfect balance, and newcomers. Private and semi-private groups are available on the south shore, and north shore for the advanced classes. In 2008 the Kite school researched and tested Naish's Sigma Concept kites for use in the lesson program. Testing prototype "Helix" and "Code" kites, it was apparent the the newer concept offered several desirable characteristics that could benefit the kiteboarding students. The Action test team worked up some new flat-kite teaching protocols that students could use to accelerate their learning time when using the 2008 "Sigmas". The kites have desirable relaunch capability, stability, balance and durability. The school has incorporated Helix, Cult and Code kites into the school, with great success. We upgraded our equipment to include the sigma kites across the board. In 2008 we included BEST KITEBOARDING in our lesson program. Their gear represents the worlds most popular brand.  In October 08, we travelled to Dominican Republic, home of the International Kiteboarding Organization, for a Kiteboarding Examiners Conference. Kiteboarding representatives from around the world including the top 17 examiners were there, including our own David Dorn representing USA & Hawaii. The meeting was a forum to propel the teaching technology forward by unifying the international standards, and sharing the experiences and knowledge of the worlds most respected instructor trainers. In 2008 Action Sports also reached out to Mexico running an ITC instructor training clinic in Cozumel Mexico, and helping Cozumel local, Raul De Lille set up his Kiteboarding Center there. We expanded our SUP (Stand Up Paddle) Fleet with the inclusion of boards by Laird, SOS, and Starboard. The larger range of boards gave access to heavier riders, and makes the sport even easier and more accessible to older/heavier or younger/timid students. In 2008 we opened our new north shore lesson center. The Kite Club Maui, is the first Kite Club of its kind in Hawaii, dedicated to kiteboarding and education. it is a meeting place for students and instructors, and a venue for our clinics, courses and seminars. Located close to Kitebeach, it is a great place to relax after a kiteboarding session. For 2009 we  received our new quiver of kitesurfing school kites, the 2009 Cult Sports, they are be far the most advanced kited we have used to date. They have perhaps the most intuitive feel and response of all the kites we have used to date, and they have been giving great results, with students riding better, and learning faster. Our windsurf school got a new quiver of Hotsails "Microfreak" kids sails, and our adult quiver got a set of Naish Scout beginner sails and rigs. We also introduced the Kailua 180 liter all around beginner/intermediate training boards into our school fleet. Action Outreach Program: Our Instructor Training courses went to the mainland again this year, with an ITC course in San Francisco where we trained the Kiteboarding instructors of the Boardsports School in Alameda. And onto Seattle, where we trained the Urban Surf crew for owner Jeffro Rothenberg, a former instructor of ours. We kited Golden Gardens, and Jetty Island and they were a great group. This year the Action Sports Maui "Kiteboarding for Kids program" was adopted by the International Kitebording Organization as the official training program for kiteboarding instructors. The course trains instructors how to create safe and specialized for kids and younger students. and lowered the minimum age for kiteboarding kids from 12 to 9years old, and it also includes activities for even younger kids. The "Teach to Kids" course is now offered as part of the IKO's continuing education program as a specialty course, and is available to instructors worldwide through the online training system, and the course is now available in multiple languages. Back on Maui we had several memorable Women's Kiteboarding clinics from Clarissa Hempel, and also from 9x World champion Kristin Boese. In October 2009 we received the "Best of Kihei Award" for Best Amusement Recreation in 2009. In November we ran the final instructor training for the year in Kahului. In December 2009 we officially launched our Online Ocean Education program. The Ocean Education program is a cooperative education venture, bringing the water-based knowledge-base of the best instructors to the world wide watersports community, The Ocean Education programs are dedicated to promote responsible stewardship of the ocean environment, and the safe participation in ocean recreation and ocean sports. In December we received our 2010 Chargers for the school.  For 2010 we already have a big year planned, with instructor training schedule two ITC courses on Maui, and several planned for the Mainland. A big year for the Kids with the "Kite for Kids" program, and the Summer Evolution Kids Windsurf Camps, and the Kids Ocean discovery surfing clinics. Women can look forward to more Kite clinics from Kristin and Clarissa. We got some quivers of the new 2010 Naish Kites, 0-ten Helix, & 0-ten Cults and road tested the New Charger delta shaped kites for the school. The chargers are possibly the most user friendly kite we have ever had in the school, with the fastest relaunch and forgiving handling, and linier power control. These improvements will no doubt translate into more water time, longer rides and more stoked students. All this and more is coming your way, so stay tuned and checkout our Action Calendar for upcoming special events.