Santa Surfs in at Mākena Beach & Golf Resort

Left to Right: Ralph Valite, Kip Larson (santa), Rod Sato, Dino Miranda and Danilo Gines. Credit: Makena Beach & Golf Resort

The Mākena Beach & Golf Resort staff and over 200 attendees welcomed a surfing Santa to Mākena for the resort’s 6th annual “Here Comes Santa Claus” event.

Santa arrived on Maluaka Beach via a 16’ 8” long and 6.5’ wide surfboard while attendees also enjoyed complimentary picture taking, kids activities and holiday refreshments at the event.

This year Santa, played by Kip Larson, the General Manager of the resort’s activity partner Play Paradise, arrived via a C4 Waterman Supsquatch surfboard. The Susquatch is an inflatable surfboard-shaped raft, used by professional surfers and SUP paddlers.

Big enough for six people, Santa’s arrival to Mākena was assisted by local respected waterman Archie Kalepa (owner of the Supsquatch surfboard) and Mākena Beach & Golf Resort’s employees, Ralph Valite, Rod Sato, Dino Miranda and Danilo Gines.

After Santa’s arrival onshore, families were treated to complimentary picture taking with Santa in the resort’s beach-front thatch roofed spa cabanas, as well as complimentary holiday cookies, hot chocolate and fruit punch. Purple Elephant Events also provided complimentary animal balloon making, glitter tattoos and body art application at the event. Every child also received a gift bag.

“This has become a lively event that our resort staff, public and returning guests look forward to every year…it is a great family friendly and festive event that gets our entire resort in the Holiday spirit,” said General Manager Declan McCarthy.

The Mākena Beach & Golf Resort’s annual event, features a different method of arrival each year with the way Santa arrives kept a surprise till the actual event. In year’s past Santa has arrival to Mākena included: outrigger canoe paddled in by the resort’s beach crew, via jet-ski accompanied by Maui County Lifeguards, via 30 ft. motor-boat followed by a lively Gangnam Style dance on Maluaka Beach with some of the resort’s staff and via a hand-carved wooden sleigh drawn in by a Rudolph themed Polaris.