Waimanalo Bay Beach Park

Waimanalo Bay Beach Park has many amenities including lifeguards (between 9 am and 5:30 pm), showers, restrooms, and picnic tables. Dogs are allowed in the portions of Waimanalo Bay Beach Park that are below the high tide line. 

Waimanalo Bay Beach Park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, fishing, hiking, volleyball, picnicking, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paddle-boarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, bodyboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, camping, wakeboarding, and boating. The water near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park offers fun yet manageable surfing waves - this makes it popular among all kinds of surfers and bodyboarders. The beach can also become windy (generally during afternoons) which makes it an ideal beach for kitesurfers and windsurfers. Snorkelers and scuba divers love the water here to explore its vibrant biodiversity - depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park including migrating whales, dolphins, and many kinds of fish. Visitors can also view Hawaiian Green sea turtles which crawl out of the water onto the beach on rare occasions near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, especially during summers. Please not that these sea turtles are protected in the United States under the Federal Endangered Species Act 1973 and harming them can result in a fine up to $ 25,000, along with possible imprisonment.

However, if you are going into the water at Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents, especially during winters. Snorkelers and scuba divers should also note that the water here can also have poor underwater visibility. The water here also has jellyfish - these animals can inflict powerful stings when disturbed. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Oahu shoreline and the Pacific Ocean, along with the scenic Ko’olau Mountains - the beach is also a popular spot among newlyweds who take their wedding photos. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park becomes an ideal place for those visitors who are looking for a quieter beach experience during weekdays as it sees very few visitors during this time. The area around Waimanalo Bay Beach Park also served as a filming location for the television show Magnum, P.I. and Baywatch Hawaii. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park also has oceanfront campsites, and if you are planning to camp in here, you can visit the City and County of Honolulu’s camping permits website (camping.honolulu.gov) for more information regarding the campsite amenities, fees, and rules. 

Getting to Waimanalo Bay Beach Park is easy - the park is easily accessible from Kalaniana’ole Highway (which is also known as Hawaii Route 72). The park is open between 7 am and 7:45 pm, and there are multiple parking lots near the beach. We recommend avoiding leaving valuables in your vehicles while they are parked at Waimanalo Bay Beach Park’s parking lots as the area has been known to have break-ins. We also recommend wearing multi-layered clothing while visiting here in winters as the beach weather is known to get particularly chilly during this time.

There are many attractions near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park. Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail offers amazing views of the southeastern Oahu shoreline including the nearby Koko Head and Koko Crater - the trail ends at a headland named Makapu’u Head, which has an observation area from where you can view an early 20th-century lighthouse. You can also view many kinds of birds and animals from this observation area including frigatebirds and tropicbirds, along with migrating humpback whales (between November and May). Waimānalo District Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including a large playground, restrooms, basketball courts, tennis courts, benches, and large grassy areas. Sea Life Park Hawaii is home to many kinds of aquatic and semi aquatic animals and birds including sea lions, dolphins, penguins, seals, and many kinds of native fish species - the park also offers interesting educational programs, interactive animal encounters, and exciting animal shows. The park also hosts many fun events including the annual Twilight Concert Series. If you are looking for another attraction near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Ulupō Heiau State Historic Site has an ancient Hawaiian religious temple called the Ulupō Heiau. As an interesting fact, local legends often claim that the area around the temple was inhabited by dwarfs (known as menehune) and this temple was constructed in a single night - Ulupō Heiau State Historic Site is now a part of the United States National Register of Historic Places.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park. Formaggio Grill is an upscale restaurant that serves amazing Mediterranean-inspired dishes and is known primarily for its great steak and seafood. Boots & Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen serves amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including poultry dishes, beef dishes, sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, eggs, waffles, pancakes, seafood, and French toast. The restaurant also has interesting memorabilia related to the famous football team Denver Broncos. Ohana Karaoke Grill & Bar offers amazing Asian dishes including bulgogi, chicken katsu, and bibimbap. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Ono Steaks and Shrimp Shack offers amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including Asian dishes, sandwiches, burgers, steaks, seafood, Hawaiian-inspired lunch plates, fried rice, pancakes, and eggs.

If you are looking for a hotel near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 5-Star Kahala Hotel & Resort is 35 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including complimentary surfing and paddleboarding lessons, a complimentary local shuttle service, bike and beach towel rental facilities, five restaurants, a fitness center, a spa, and a private lagoon that has dolphins. As another upscale option, the 4-Star Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head is 40 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including morning coffee, evening wine tasting sessions, bike loaner facilities, and beach gear loaner facilities, along with a restaurant. A more affordable hotel is Waimanalo Beach Cottages which offers many amenities including a garden with a barbecue area, coin-operated laundry facilities, and nearby convenience stores. In addition, the area around this hotel offers an amazing hiking experience. A minimum five-night stay is required for staying at this hotel. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Papaya Paradise Bed & Breakfast offers many amenities including a pool, a lanai, a shared kitchen, beach towel and boogie board loaner facility, and self-serve complimentary breakfast. A minimum three-night stay is required for staying at this hotel.