I looked through reviews of several establishments specializing in surfing lessons in Lahaina and selected Maui Waveriders based on positive reviews of instructors as well as photography option to capture the surf lesson. Unfortunately, my actual experience was the opposite of my high expectations. Firstly, upon inquiring about the photography, I was told the photographer wasn’t coming in that day. Onto the main event - our instructor was Kahala, she skipped over basic information such as how to get your surfboard into/out of the water, how to paddle with the surfboard in various directions, which may be obvious to a regular surfer but would have been helpful to me as a beginner (as a result of which I got hit by my surfboard multiple times on the shore). We practiced standing up on the surfboard on the shore briefly and was ushered into the water. Her explanations were brief and broad and hard to hear over the waves/crowd on the shore. Her teaching methodology was push you off your surfboard and hope for the best. I felt zero encouragement from her and received little to no feedback after each attempt at surfing (I actually got more feedback from other strangers surfing nearby than the instructor that I paid for). She also worked in kids that were not part of the group during our lesson. All 4 participants in our group shared similar feelings about lack of instruction from Kahala. There was another instructor from MWR out on the water who seemed much friendlier so perhaps the experience differs drastically based on who your instructor is. Overall I was disappointed with my first surfing lesson and will be trying out a different company next time. I would not recommend MWR if you are looking for a positive environment to give surfing a try or if you would like to have photos taken during your experience.