Hawaii Kailua Park Beach Guide
Kailua Beach Park, often rated as
the "Best Beach in the World," is a generally wonderful place to
enjoy swimming and beach recreational activities. It has a very nice, fine sandy
beach. There are generally no significantly hazardous ocean or beach conditions.
If there is a problem, it's the pond in the middle of the park. Parents
should not allow little children to play unsupervised in this area. The beach's
lifeguards are not and shouldn't be used as substitute babysitters - their responsibility
includes the entire beach.
Besides having often been rated as one of
the "Best Beaches in the World," Kailua Beach is a world-class wind
surfing destination for pros and amateurs alike. There are several shops in Kailua
town which offer rental gear and that can arrange for lessons.
For both
wind surfing and surf kayaking always remember to wear a personal flotation
device (PDF) when engaging in these activities.
Kailua Beach
Park has the following in its beach and park areas:
LIFEGUARDS
SAND
PICNIC AREAS
PHONES
SHOWERS
RESTROOMS
The
most impressive snorkelling and diving beach on Oahu is at Hanauma Bay,
about 20 minutes by road from Waikiki heading east. Hanauma has an almost perfect
crescent shaped sandy beach which is overrun by tourists from 10am to 4pm but
relatively quiet before and after. Here, the waters have some of the islands best
corals and excellent marine life in a protected bay.
Beyond Hanauma is
the lovely Sandy Beach, backed by the impressive Koko Crater. This beach
has wide fine white sand, excellent body surfing but conditions here can be raw
at the best of times.
Crossing the Koolau Mountains, Makapu'u
Beach on the east coast is a sandy beach in a breathtaking setting backed
by razor sharp mountains and offers the islands best body surfing although sea
conditions can often be dangerous. Kaupo and Kaiona Beach Parks beyond the commercial
Sea Life Park both have good year-round swimming and are popular with locals and
Wamalolo Beach Park has excellent facilities including camping grounds and is
great for wind surfing.
There's a nice long stretch of sand at Lanakai
Beach just south of the suburban town of Kailua. This quiet residential area
has safe swimming and some gentle surfing spots with views of the two small offshore
islands in the distance (this is the only place in Hawaii where you'll see small
islands). Kailua Beach nearer town has excellent kayaking and world class
wind surfing. Holiday rentals in and around Kailua are a good alternative to the
more expensive hotels of Waikiki.
North of Kailua the best all round
beach on the windward coast is at Kualoa. Both scenic and boasting fine white
sand, Kualoa has good all round swimming with a soft sandy bottom and good snorkelling
a little further out. The tiny offshore island nicknamed Chinaman's hat can be
reached at low tide, and there's good facilities and camping. The further north
you head, the beaches become less frequent, less attractive and more dangerous
for swimming until you round the northern point of Oahu
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