Waialeʻa Bay (Beach 69)

What to expect

From Highway 19, take Puakō Beach Drive and then Old Puakō Road, and turn off between utility poles 69 and 70. The lot is about half a mile in on the left, with showers and restrooms beside it. The beach is a white-sand cove with some rocky patches and secluded sandy spots shaded by trees that grow right down to the sand. Winter surf can wash much of the sand out, so the beach is at its widest in summer. It’s quieter and shadier than Hāpuna next door, and it rewards a mask and fins more than a bodyboard.

Know before you go

Fees

Waialeʻa is a section of Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area, so the same non-resident fees apply: $5 per person and $10 per vehicle, card only. Hawaiʻi residents get in free with ID.

Facilities

There’s no lifeguard on duty. Restrooms and showers are next to the parking lot.

Snorkeling

The best coral is around the large rocks on the south side of the bay, with more near the rocky point on the north side. Go when the water is calm.

Rules

In the Marine Life Conservation District, you may not take or injure marine life, disturb sand, coral, or rock, or feed fish. Pole-and-line fishing for finfish is the only fishing allowed. State park rules also ban alcohol and drones.

Coral spawning

DLNR has closed parking at Waialeʻa on some mornings during coral spawning, as it did May 17–19, 2022, so check park notices in late spring.