By Chris Takahashi | Staff Writer

Renting a surfboard is typically a no-fuss affair: show up, sign a waiver, pick out your preferred surfboard and hit the waves. The process is seldom time consuming and although there are many places to rent a surfboard in Waikiki, including right on the beach, the cost can often be bewildering. Renting a board on the beach in Waikīkī can often run you twenty bucks an hour (generally cheaper for kamaʻaina, however).

The good news is that a place called Moku Surf Shop exists to help meet all your board sports-related needs—from surfboards to stand-up paddleboards (SUPs)—without exceeding your budget. Located just a stone’s throw from the Duke Kahanamoku statue at Waikīkī Beach, on the corner of Koa Avenue and Uluniu Avenue, Moku may not be right on the beach, but it is conveniently close. If you plan on walking over to Waikīkī Beach with that rental surfboard or SUP then that two minute walk from Moku’s will be well worth your time.

There’s no shortage of surf shops located within the vicinity of Waikiki, including just a couple down the street from Moku on Koa Avenue (some even offer cheaper rental rates), but the surfer-friendly hours of operation for Moku set the place apart from the competition.

Moku Surf Shop is open from 6:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. every day of the week. Other surf shops in the area close by 6:00 p.m., well over an hour before sunset during the summer months. This means that Moku will let you enjoy the ocean during that golden hour of sunset as gradations of red and orange illuminate the sky, sort of a reverse tequila sunrise. Surfers will often stay out in the water until just moments before complete darkness since the waves are not beholden to the same circadian rhythm as humans.

Besides rentals, Moku offers surfing lessons in both English and Japanese, catering to the tourist crowd. While the shop’s retail space is modest, they offer all the essential accessories from surf wax to ding repair kits to satisfy any serious surfer.

But, if it’s surfboard and SUP rentals that you’re after, Moku Surf Shop is one hidden gem in Waikīkī that should make the short list.