The beaches in Waiʻānapanapa State Park offer many fun activities including beachcombing, sunbathing, hiking, wildlife watching, fishing, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, canoeing, paddle-boarding, and surf-skiing. If you are planning to enter the water near Waiʻānapanapa State Park, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable and dangerous rip currents. In addition, the rocky shoreline can also inflict grave injuries to visitors. The water near Waiʻānapanapa State Park is also known to have jellyfish, which can inflict a powerful sting if disturbed. Nevertheless, visitors often jump into the water from the oceanfront cliffs in Waiʻānapanapa State Park for a fun cliff diving experience. However, if you are planning to cliff-dive in Waiʻānapanapa State Park, we recommend doing so during calmer water conditions - this ensures that you have a proper view of the ocean bottom before you dive from the cliff above. Depending on the time of the year, you can view sea turtles in the water near Waiʻānapanapa State Park. If you like birdwatching, you can view many kinds of birds around the beaches in Waiʻānapanapa State Park including Hawaiian noddies, Hawaiian petrels, and yellow-billed tropicbirds. An interesting cave is present along the cliff-sides near Black Sand Beach - you can explore this unique cave during low tide. You can catch many kinds of fish in the water near Waiʻānapanapa State Park including ulna and snapper. However, if you are planning to fish in the water near the state park, we recommend following the local fishing regulations.
Waiʻānapanapa State Park has a beautiful coastal landscape - you can explore the park’s vibrant landscape and biodiversity via the hiking trails present here - one of the state park’s trails is a part of a former historic pathway (which spanned across Maui’s shoreline) that was used by Hawaiian royalty in the 16th century. The state park’s interesting natural features also include unique caves with anchialine pools (these pools and caves have immense local cultural significance and are currently closed to visitors) and a unique blowhole (which is a coastal geological formation that routinely shoots up water). Waiʻānapanapa State Park also has campgrounds that accommodate both tents and RVs. If you are planning to camp here, we recommend visiting Waiʻānapanapa State Park’s webpage at the Division of State Parks’ website for more information regarding the camping rules and amenities. The state park also has many historic sites - one of the most prominent historic sites in the state park is the Ohala Heiau, which is thought to be a shrine for a Native Hawaiian fishing god.