Waimea Bay Beach Park

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Address 61-31 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712
 
Calm waters in the summer. Pounding waves in the winter.

Features
• Facilities: Bathrooms • Facilities: Lifeguard • Facilities: Picnic Tables • Facilities: Showers • Sand Type: Regular
• Parking: Good / Plenty • Parking: Poor / Few • Good For: Swimming • Surfing Level: Advanced

Waimea Bay is a very famous beach in the town of Haleiwa on the north shore of O'ahu and home to some amazingly large winter waves which bring out some fantastic surfing.


This is the king of pounding waves and big wave surfing that the north shore is famous for. These also happen to be the same type of waves that will kill you if you tried to swim in them.


If you want to watch some crazy wave and/or surfing action in the winter then check it out for sure, but keep in mind that the parking situation is really bad here. There are a decent number of spots but this place is very popular and they fill up very fast. Get there really early in the morning or consider parking across the street at Waimea Valley where you'll pay $5 and have a bit of a walk. Note that the parking situation is bad at any time of the year.


In the summer the waves are far more calm so you can usually swim here and play in the water. The beach drops off fairly quick so it gets deep fast which sometimes makes it feels like the water is a bit colder here. If that's not for you, drive further east along the coast to a beach like Sunset Beach.


Some people also like to jump off the cliff here. Do or do not, the choice is yours but it's not one we recommend.


On the plus side, you will find showers, bathrooms, picnic tables, a huge sandy area, and lifeguards. Of course, Sunset Beach offers all of that as well.