Hawaii White Sand Beach Guide

This beach is at La'a Loa ("very sacred"), just south of Kailua-Kona. I called it white because compared with the black and green sand beaches, it seemed white to me. It would be more accurate to call it cream or pale pink. There is very little organic material in the water, so it's crystal clear. The sand is very clean as well. The sand section is wide enough to swim in and bodysurf, but it's surrounded by lava rocks.

An Olive Ridley Sea Turtle came to this beach while I was taking this photograph. It is found in Hawaii, though it nests on the beaches of Central America. Turtles are often seen sunning on the beaches, but this one seemed interested in tourists. It swam with the people in the area and was still present after we departed.

La'aloa Beach Park – also known as Magic Sands or White Sands beach. It's called Magic Sands because when rough surf hits, all of the sand is emptied off the beach and temporarily moved out to sea. No need to worry, it all comes back eventually. If the surf is up, you can see avid body-boarders and surfers here. You can get to La'aloa from Alii Drive, and, because of its proximity to Kona hotels, it is often well-populated. There is always a lifeguard on duty here; facilities include: showers, bathrooms and a volleyball net. This beach is located just North of Kahalu'u Bay Beach Park, right on Ali'i Drive. View map of White Sands Beach Park.

There is a really nice shore-break at Magic Sands. The waves can get moderately high and even curl on their way to breaking on the sandy shore. Often you will see a crowd of people relaxing in their beach chairs watching the breaking waves and the youngsters on their body boards. We have enjoyed body boarding for hours at this beach - just keep an eye out for the big Kahuna roller wave that will take you for a very hard ride! Parking is tight and many simply park alongside Alii Drive (even though there are no parking signs throughout).

Useful Information:

Sand and rock beach
Lifeguards
Restrooms
Showers
Picnic area
Bar-B-Q grills
Phones

More Information:
Good snorkeling and scuba diving
Sunset views
Shady areas
No parking lot - park along the road

This is popular pocket of sand is great for splashing in the surf, body-surfing and body-boarding. There are restrooms, showers and a lifeguard, but limited parking. This small beach may disappear overnight due to tidal shifts or strong surf, but always returns.