A long, soft-sand beach on Kailua Bay with turquoise water, views of Popoiʻa (Flat Island) and the Mokulua islets, and a big grassy City park at its south end. Steady trade winds make it a hub for kayaking, windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Why we love it
The water color is unreal, the sand is fine and the morning swim before the wind comes up is one of Oʻahu’s simple joys.
Current conditions: As of Sept. 2026, Kailua Beach Park closes nightly from midnight to 4 a.m., and dune restoration plantings are fenced near Kaʻelepulu Stream.
What to expect
Arrive in the morning: trade winds usually build after lunch, turning the water choppy and bringing out kitesurfers. Most people set up near the lifeguard towers around the boat ramp and Kaʻelepulu Stream at the south end, where the City is restoring dunes with native plants behind post-and-rope fencing. Kayakers launch here for Popoiʻa and the Mokulua islets, which are state seabird sanctuaries. The free lots fill by about 9 a.m. on weekends, and tour buses can’t drop off. Kailua town’s cafes and rental shops are five minutes away.
Know before you go
- Lifeguards
- Kailua Beach is on the state lifeguard list, staffed daily 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
- Park hours
- The City made the nightly midnight–4 a.m. closure permanent on Sept. 11, 2026. You may cross the park to reach the ocean, but not stay.
- Dune work
- Stay off fenced dune plantings near Kaʻelepulu Stream and the canoe hale lot, part of the City’s Kailua Beach Dune Restoration project.
- Wind
- Afternoon onshore trades make swimming choppy; paddlers should avoid days with offshore wind.
- Facilities
- Restrooms, showers, picnic shelters and BBQ pits in the park.
Photo: Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
