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Laniakea Beach
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
74 reviews for Laniakea Beach
74 reviews in English
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Review from Gloria S.
Los Angeles, CA
1/6/2012
If you're driving along the Kamehameha Hwy and you suddenly see 239487 cars parked in makeshift parking spots in a seemingly random segment of the road, you've most likely found Laniakea beach. I, however, saw the turtles first, which prompted my swerving off of the highway into said makeshift parking spots.
Definitely not the typical Hawaii beach where you can swim/snorkle freely - the water is freezing, current strong, and huge rocks are in the way. But the water is shallow enough that a lot of people (me included) ventured in carefully. And I'm so glad I did. There were about 2 turtles on the beach, so I wasn't expecting to see much. My husband and I waded in and snorkled for a few minutes then found MASSIVE turtles snacking on seaweed underwater. It gets a bit scary when the decide to swim right up to you (since they're like, 500 pounds and it's also illegal to touch them) but it's SO COOL!! I recommend visiting Laniakea Beach for those wanting to see the sea turtles in their natural habitat. It's something I definitely won't forget. -
Review from Reverend lisa P.
Rosemead, CA
12/21/2011
I was so humbled by what I saw. We heard about the turtles while on a tour. And we set out the very next day to find them. Laniakea beach was easy to find. Some say it is not for laying out and staying for awhile. But I found that the wind and rough waters were wonderful. We did sit for a long time, reading and waiting. We brought some small chairs and we waited for turtle sitings ! and Turtles there were. There were several volunteers who can answer all your questions and this is wonderful for children and adults. Come and learn. Be respectful and feel connected. I know I did !
This is a life long memory ! -
Review from Kat F.
Yes, this is THE turtle beach, the one you want to make sure you visit if you have an unhealthy obsession with seeing "honu" in their natural habitat like I do.
Like many of Hawaii's beaches your GPS might not be much help. You'll know you're at the right beach when you see a farm to your right - park in front of the farm and cross the highway (use caution) to get to the beach. There's a lifeguard on duty but swimming is discouraged - this isn't that type of beach. This is a short term visit, turtle-watching beach, so join the rest of the amateur photographers and snap a few pics of these gorgeous creatures bobbing along in the water near the shore.
Some of the Yelp photos show turtles on the beach itself but when I visited around noon in early November the dozens of turtles I spotted stayed in the water. A must visit if you want toListed in: Top Beaches in Hawaii
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Review from Alan B.
If this beach were in SOCAL, not only would there be armed guards, PETA, and the Humane Society, but there would be silver robot men, TJ Dog vendors, and a dude playing guitar with his feet. Also there would be on average, three families hit by cars while crossing the road to see the turtles. With that, I'm glad this is on Oahu because every time I've been, the turtles are always there...I wonder if they're fake? Also it's one of my favorite places to watch the sunset, on second thought, is there a bad place to watch the sunset?
Listed in: Oahu Vacay
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Review from Justina S.
Seattle, WA
10/25/2011
Beautiful sunset ... but bad memories. The waves washed away my tears, and let me look the other way. If I do visit North Shore, not sure if I can turn to my left and look at this beach the same way anymore.
Beautiful place to visit. BTW if you ever want to visit North Shore on the weekend, I would suggest driving there in the morning instead of the afternoon, just cause you'll be in traffic for a LOOOOOONG time. -
Review from Jay L.
Honolulu, HI
First of all, Laniakea Beach isn't considered as a beach park nor a place to go swimming at. What this beach is known for is two things: the scenery and turtles! Yes, there are turtles that come onto shore at this beach and it's totally awesome how you get to see the turtles up close in person if you're at the beach.
The best time to see the turtles is during the summer (although I might be wrong about that) and especially when the turtles do appear on the shore, traffic along the long stretch of highway fronting Laniakea Beach known as Kamehameha Highway gets bumper to bumper traffic with so many passerby's in their cars wanting to get a glimpse of the turtles especially heading in both directions along the highway. Ugh. How much I hate having to deal with traffic all the time when it occurs.
For those of you who're interested wanting to stop by Laniakea Beach, there's a parking area right across the beach where you can park your cars at but make sure to cross the highway when there's no oncoming cars in both directions or if drivers slow down and are courteous by allowing you to cross the highway to get to the beach.
One thing you definitely wanna bring is your cameras or by having it on you if you plan on stopping by Laniakea Beach otherwise you'll truly regret it. Taking pictures of the turtles is something you gotta do at this beach but besides the turtles, the scenery at this beach is really enjoyable as you'll get to see the nice clear blue ocean in front of you and the long stretch of sand along the shore as well as a tiny swimming area. It's not much of a scenery but at the same time, it's better than nothing.
There's not much else to say for this review except that the turtles are cute, the scenery is enjoyable, and Laniakea Beach reeks of awesomeness.Listed in: WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Summer Slam, No Way Out
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Review from Lianna N.
This is not a swimming beach, nor a beach to sit and read in peace and quiet. You'd sooner get stomped on, trampled, caught in someone's turtle picture or run over as the cars pile in or swerve onto the shoulder of the one-lane-each-direction road known as Kamehameha Hwy.
This is the best place I know of on my island to get a glimpse of turtles in their natural habitat, sunning, chomping on their seaweed, or just swimming along. The water is shallow and the rocks grow lots of green goodness that these honu eat and love. The rocks go to about 10-20 feet out, so it's really easy to spot the sea turtles as they bounce along with the current and waves.
Bring a camera, or you'll regret it! One more note-Although sometimes dealing with tourists in Hawaii can get bothersome, I always love the ooohs and ahhhs that I hear when someone gets to see their first turtle. I had the exact same reaction many years ago, and mother nature is really something to be respected and appreciated. Enjoy your visit, but be aware this is their home too :) -
Review from Joanna D.
Honolulu, HI
9/27/2011
If I could sum it up in one sentence, I'd just say... LOVE this place! But this is yelp, so I'll try to write what I think might be helpful to the next yelper.
When you drive on Kam (Kamehameha Highway), you'll see a lot of cars parked along the road. Be cognizant of the pedestrians because you will be one of those people playing frogger across the street soon enough.
Once you get to the coastal side of the road, there's tricky ways to get to the beach. I'd recommend following the rocks and sand where the trees are; its not as steep.
There are many rocks on the left side of the beach and that's where I've seen the smaller turtles swimming. On the right side, its more open and yes, people do swim there, but I don't know why... aren' t they there to see the beautiful turtles?
Turtles are going to take their time playing in the water and will eventually make their way up. The first time you see them, you'll ooh and ahh.
Once turtles make it to shore, typically a "Guardian" will come over with the red rope. Guardians have a lot of information on each turtle, so ask questions... I'm sure they're happy to tell you all there is to know.
I will say, I have a pet peeve about the tourists who try to swim really close to the turtles or get in the turtle's way in order to get the *perfect* picture. "The green sea turtle was listed as endangered/threatened species on July 28, 1978 under the federal Endangered Species Act. It is also protected under Hawaii state law." Please bask at their beauty from afar... everyone else is.
Now that you've read this, throw some sunblock on, grab a camera and get ready to look at some cool creatures. -
Review from Frank V.
San Jose, CA
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Thanks Yelp. I found a new spot to hit up when visiting the North Shore. We were lucky enough to see 1 sea turtle come ashore and took pics!
The 2 folks from the preservation group were kind enough to answer any questions and were extremely warm and friendly.
Warning: the location is a little hard to find. Park across the highway and be prepared to cross the busy road!
Must visit if you hit up the North Shore. Turtle Power! -
Review from Dean H.
8/9/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Do you want to OOOOO and AHHHHHH your out of town guest? THEN you better take them here. Most of the time there are TONS of sea turtles grazing, swimming, basking, and/or moving around on the beach!
You can get pretty close to them but be careful cause the "nature, conservancy, save the turtles, i heart turtles" group is there manning the stations waiting for someone to break the rules so they can come out and yell at you. So just stay away, give the turtles their space, and then you won't feel like a 3rd grader again when you didn't use the pencil sharpener when you were supposed to.
There is some areas for snorkeling, a few areas (strong current) to swim, and enough beach to lay out on if you are interested in that.
I would give this place about 30 minutes tops to hang out, look at turtles, ask some questions, and then head on out.
Yes, there is no bathrooms, the parking is across a busy highway, and there are about 1 billion tourist there at times but seriously, it is a great hangout on your tour around the island or your north shore fun day.
I would DEF head out there!
009/365 YELP 365 challenge in FULL effect!Listed in: YELP 365 Hawaii Challenge…
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Review from Glenn L.
San Jose, CA
9/27/2011 2 photos
My friend took us here and it is a beautiful beach! The weather wasn't all that great when we went, but we weren't gonna let it stop us from seeing turtles!!! Right when we got there we can already see all the tourists taking pictures of a turtle that was just chillin on the sand! It's good that they have people in charge on the beach to keep the tourists from getting too close to the turtles!
This beach is probably a good spot to snorkel and get up close to turtles! There were a bunch of them swimming! One even swam into my friends as I was getting ready to take a picture of them! I really love this beach! It's a good spot to take pictures of the great views and the turtles on sand and underwater!!
Seeing all the turtles is definitely one of the highlights of our trip! -
Review from Luanna Y.
8/11/2011 1 photo
Not really a great beach for swimming or sun bathing (the edges of the water can be very rocky), but that doesn't matter because the best thing about this beach is the TURTLES!
Arrived at around 2pm on a weekday. There were 2 turtles already out sunning. Got some fantastic pictures and talked to the friendly Honu guardians that were out watching the turtles and making sure that visitors were keeping a respectful distance.
After about 20 minutes just exploring, another turtle came up onto shore. It was so fun to see him climb ever so sloooowly out of the water and rest his great girth on the sand. This turtle, though, had fishing wire stuck in his mouth! :( Fortunately, the Honu guardians were able to get him help.
We also saw one of the turtles slowly return to sea after having been sunning for several hours.
A really fun place to visit when on the North shore. A great place for kids or anyone that likes seeing wildlife close up.
Tip: this place can be difficult to find since there is no real obvious signs up advertising its location. Look for cars parked on the shoulder just off the highway and beachgoers running across the highway towards the beach. Google maps should also work just by inputting "Laniakea". -
Review from Kevin H.
8/3/2011
Turtle Beach is always an instant hit! I brought several of my friends who were visiting here from LA and they LOVED IT!
There are so many turtles here sunbathing and swimming around the shore.
You can't get too close to them on land because of the animal activists watching you like a hawk, but you can get really close to them in the water. Snorkling is allowed here and you can get up close and personal!
Kinda hard to find.. Drive up Kam Hwy towards Waimea. You'll get to a bottleneck area where traffic is especially bad. Look to your right and you'll see a bunch of cars parked on the side of the road. Look to your left and you'll see a bunch of people standing around a very narrow and somewhat rocky area of beach. This is Turtle Beach. -
Review from Renita R.
Ewa Beach, HI
8/20/2011
Love this beach, it's usually pretty empty and great for photos. However, the sand slopes down so prepare yourself for a work out if you want to walk further down the beach! Hard to carry small ones with you if you're going far.
The beach is great for seeing turtles in the water and on the sand. Wouldn't swim here, it's very rocky and has a strong current. But great place for taking some portraits (but wouldn't suggest for children portraits).
It is located right off Kam Hwy past Haleiwa town, and you park across the road infront of the ranch/farm. You can't miss it! Good time to go is early morning or sunset. -
Review from Joshua B.
Quite possibly the highlight of my trip to Hawaii. This place is simply amazing!
My girlfriend and I stopped here completely by accident. Driving down the highway on our way to the North Shore shrimp trucks, we saw the beach from the road. The jagged rocks stick out into the ocean, and just create a beautiful scene. There was parking on the right side of the road, so we pulled off thinking we would kill a few minutes. Were we ever wrong!
As soon as we got in the water, a sea turtle stuck its head out of the water. My girlfriend and I were amazed, and so happy. We swam around for a few minutes, and then we noticed a rock moving on the shore. It didn't but a moment before we realized it was a giant sea turtle making her way towards the water. We watched in amazement as she moved down the shore. Before she made it to the water we realized we were surrounded. Seriously, there were five sea turtles circling us!
We climbed up on some rocks and just watched as they fed on the algae. A few tourists vans would pull up from time to time, but they would only really stay for ten minutes or so before taking off again. We spent the entire afternoon on that beach. This is such a great location for sea turtles. Check out the pictures I uploaded to see just how awesome this beach is.
On a side note, there are often volunteers at this beach to help protect the turtles. Please listen to them. They will let you have a good time, as long as you keep your distance. (No turtle rides!) Please respect the turtles, and they will be there when you go back in the future.Listed in: Must do in Oahu!, I would give these places 6…
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Review from nick m.
Philadelphia, PA
3/29/2011
This five start rating is based on being able to see the sea turtles. Period.
Hawaii is famous for its sea turtles, and while they're fairly easy to spot while snorkling or diving, the average visitor to Hawaii might not be certified to dive or the waters might be cloudy, etc. etc.
Lanikea beach basically provides you a 99% chance of being able to get up close to these awesome animals, on any given day of the week. At least, I don't think turtles follow some kind of M-F viewing schedule. The algae that grows on the rocky formations on shore are great for the sea turtles to feed off of, and since the Turtle Police (the name for the turtle-protection squad that's always here) make sure nobody gets frisky with the wildlife, I think they pretty much have it made. So word gets around that Lanikea beach is where it's at for turtles.
The beach itself isn't made for much else other than seeing the turtles. It's very narrow and the sand isn't really that great. Parking is OK and there's a steep rock drop to climb to get to the beach itself from the road.
It's funny to see the hoards of people snapping pictures of this animal that is just chilling out taking a nap (with a little roped-off VIP area that you're not supposed to cross), but they are impressive creatures and one of the things that makes Hawaii so special.
I wouldn't go here for the surf or to lay out, since there's so many people walking around trying to take pictures of the turtles. It IS however perfect for taking your 'OMG SEA TURTLE' pictures to make your mainland friends jealous.
Google 'Laniakea beach' or 'turtle beach' in google for the location or just ask someone 'where that beach with all the turtles' is. -
Review from Tanya S.
Loved this beach...aka...Turtle beach. It is hard to find since there are no signs to it so the best way is to google map it and park right across from the farm. Usually there is a lot of "tourists" just stopped in the middle of the road an then you know that you have found your sweet spot.
Turtle beach is called that because it has turtles! I think they said something like 23 of them live there. We were lucky to see one beached on the beach :) You could also see a few swimming in the water and peaking their heads up to get air.
We went during mating season so some of the females had already left. The one male turtle was sleeping all day because it was up all night having "turtle sex". Yeah, I'm jealous. LOL.
There are volunteers there that make sure you stay at least 6 feet away from the turtles since they are protected. Still, it was really cool to see one up close. Definatley worth the drive, plus the beach is beautiful.
To turtle or not to turtle is not even a question....turtle all the way baby! -
Review from Vi Y.
1/12/2011
The max you can spend here is about 15 minutes. The beach is unmarked, so follow your google maps or something.
We got there around noon and thought we were in the wrong spot, but when we looked down the beach we saw a group of people. When we walked towards the people we saw 3 sea turtles sun bathing.
Pretty cool, but not an all day adventure kinda spot. -
Review from Chanda H.
Honolulu, HI
5/24/2011 1 photo
If you're on the North Shore, STOP here! See the turtles sun bathing =)
It's a good place just to stop over, not to actually go swimming cause there's alot of rocks and flooded with tourist.
I've went a couple times where the turtles weren't on the beach, but you could still see them swimming in the shallow. -
Review from Maritess D.
West Covina, CA
10/5/2011
Came here 2 wks ago to see turtles up close but no luck :/ . Instead I encountered a plethora of tourists. The turtles were swimming near the shore but never came out to the sand waaaahh... There were a lot of surfers who came out here as well so I ended up just checkin them out instead haha... Be careful tho the waves kinda crept up on ppl who were trying to take pictures of the turtles swimming and some lady's croc shoe got taken in by a wave it was quite amusing...beautiful beach tho :)
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Review from Justin Y.
4/7/2011
Have you ever seen a real life turtle? I'm not talkin 'about the ones named after Renaissance painters or the shitty ones that you pick up from Chinatown that die in a few weeks. I'm talkin' about REAL LIFE TURTLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then this is the place for you....
*The weather was kinda choppy and I didn't get a chance to go into the water but the main attraction about this beach are the turtles. There were two turtles that were sectioned off for Tourists to see and occasional turtles that would pop up their heads in the water. But definitely worth checkin' out if you're on the North Shore. -
Review from A C.
San Leandro, CA
5/4/2011 3 photos
There are countless beaches in Oahu, but this one is unique. If you haven't already figured it out, turtles come up onto the beach quite frequently here! I was imagining dozens of baby turtles flapping around like you see in documentaries, but the day I went (late April this year), there were 3 large turtles (150-200 lb each) hanging out on the sand.
Volunteers keep an eye out for them and rope them off so that people don't get too close. Regardless, you can get within about 6 feet of them! Ask nicely and they'll take a picture of you or provide you with information about them. For many touristy places, you never want to go there more than once. But Turtle Beach is one of those cool spots where I'd be sure to come back if I'm ever in the North Shore area. BTW the area where the turtles hang out is somewhat rocky and some spots are covered in algae. But it also has its legit sandy beach sections as well, if you're looking to kill two birds with one stone. -
Review from Clarence A.
Daly City, CA
2/14/2011
5 stars not so many crowds out here at this beach
If your looking to stay away from all the madness of Waikiki beach meaning all the crowds you may want to visit this beach. The journey to get here mite be a little long but if your from the "bay" you know to get to beautiful places it takes time haha.
When we were out there we actually didn't see and sea turtles, = ( but the view of the beach alone = )
Definitely spot to come too when in Hawaii, perfect place to take in some fresh sea air, big beautiful crashing waves, super blue water, and possibly see some sea turtles
views *****Listed in: Honolulu spots to hit up
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Review from grace l.
San Carlos, CA
9/12/2011
Amazing. Loved seeing the green sea turtles beached on the sand and tons more in the water riding the current and eating seaweed. There are volunteers on the beach that put up rope around the beached turtles, make sure everyone is 6ft away from the turtles and answer any questions about the turtles you may have! It turns out the turtles come up to lay on the beach to warm up and it helps with their digestion. Yum. This is a great beach to view the green sea turtles up close and in their natural environment, especially if you go snorkeling!
Listed in: Oahu
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Review from Ivy K.
Santa Monica, CA
10/31/2010
Sea turtles are awesome, magical, mystical creatures.
You will be able to see them here, eating and and playing and basking in the sun.
We took a few pictures by one of the roped-off sea turtles that had made its way onto the beach and it opened one eye for us as we were snapping away.
Must-stop spot to say hi to the turtles!Listed in: Must-Dos In Oahu
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Review from Shannon K.
Mountain View, CA
9/24/2010
Laniakea Beach, also affectionately know as Turtle Beach, is a small, unmarked beach that is home to many, many turtles. :)
LOCATION: If you're driving to North Shore from the Dole Plantation, this is one of the first beaches you'll hit. If you continue along the highway, you'll pass by Waimea Bay Beach Park, Shark's Cove and Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. You'll know you've arrived if you see a lot of cars parked on the side of the street next to a ranch / empty field (?). When you enter the beach, you'll go down a sloping, sandy path and come across a small inlet with signs instructing you about proper etiquette around sea turtles. When you see the signs, you'll know for sure that you're at the right beach.
Even though this beach is "off the beaten path", I feel like it's one of the most "well-kept" beaches because sea turtle volunteers come every night to check for turtles and help with general maintenance and preservation of the beach. Also, they'll put up signs that say, "No Swimming" when the surf and waves are really high. You typically don't see this type of "care and attention" at other beaches, which makes me think this beach is looked after by a lot of caring individuals and volunteers.
As far as turtles go, it's hit or miss. I heard it's best to come at 3 pm. However, the last time I came, I saw 0 turtles at 3 pm. When I came at 6 pm, my bf just happened to see a "bulbous thing" near the ocean water. We quickly parked the car and ran out to the far left side of the beach and finally found a turtle! The next two times we went here, my friends and I were surprised to enjoy the company of three turtles! It was awesome and a majestic experience.
When a lot of turtles are around, you'll likely see a volunteer roping off a perimeter around the turtle so you don't get too close. Sometimes volunteers will put out signs that explain the background and 411 of the turtle (e.g., 35-yr old female honu, 225 pounds, just finished a journey from the Caribbeans, etc.)
My friends went snorkeling here and swam with two sea turtles that were just a couple of feet from them. Definitely check this place out!
it's great for romantic sunsets too :)Listed in: MUST-TRY SPOTS IN OAHU
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Review from Malia H.
Aiea, HI
This is an unmarked beach that you may pass if you didn't know it was there. There are no signs but the many cars parked across the street are a dead giveaway. This is a great beach that's not too crowded and you get an up close view of the sea turtles. You can watch them eat, play, lay on the beach. The turtles are roped off by the turtle environmentalists so you can't get too close or touch and harass them in their natural environment. They do swim right by you in the ocean.
The beach is not too rocky and it as an amazing sunset.
It's a laid back beach where you can relax but unfortunately more and more tourists are coming to it so its more crowded.
Make sure you have your camera with you! It truly is awesome to see these turtles. ^_^*~ -
Review from Geno H.
Honolulu, HI
8/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I dont know if we were extremely lucky or what, but parking was pretty easy, there were four turtles resting on the beach and three that I counted bobbing in the waves. My expectations were blown away.
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Review from Jade M.
6/27/2010 7 photos
We stopped here for a couple of hours after we were finished snorkeling at Shark's Cove. It was so cool to see the sea turtles hanging out and not giving a hoot about the humans crowding around to snap pics of them.
There was a lady there advising the public not to get too close to the turtles...and to not touch them. Although I've been told the turtles tend to lay out on the beach and sun themselves, on the day we were there, they were all in the water. We spent a couple of hours laying out in the sun before we moved on.
As previously mentioned, there aren't any signs to indicate that this is Lanaikea Beach...commonly known as "Turtle Beach". The beach is located across the street from a large, white ranch. The nearest crossroads I saw was Kamehameha Hwy and Pohaku Loa Way. When we were looking for this beach, we referred to it as Turtle Beach and the locals kept telling us to go to Turtle Bay Resort, which isn't the same thing at all.
This isn't really a beach to hang out all day at...just come to see the turtles and move on. -
Review from Heidi C.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2009
DO YOU WANT TO SEE SEA TURTLES? DO YOU?!?!?!?!!!
If so, come to LANIAKEA BEACH. Serious. Trust.
I saw at least 10 of them on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. I was giddy like a 5 year old with a new pack of crayons.
I read somewhere that Laniakea Beach is the best place in the world to see marine sea turtles. I'm not sure if that's true but hey, I saw at least 10 and I'm NOT complaining! Woohoo!Listed in: Aloha O'ahu!
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Review from Heather J.
Waterloo, IA
5/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
Just so cool.
Turtles right there, and there, and over there! So many of them, everywhere here.
Can I swim with them? Not a good idea and forbidden.
Be kind, no touching just cooing, smiling, and photo taking...and maybe a little surfing farther out!Listed in: My Oahu habits!
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Review from Grace W.
Las Vegas, NV
4/3/2011
On our adventures to the North Shore, this was one of our stops. We arrived around 1130am and there were no turtles in sight. My first thought was, "Argh...damn people on yelp and their lies!!" However, we stayed for about 10-12 more minutes and we spied a few turtles in the water. Just seeing them swim in their own habitat was amazing.
Since we had other places to visit, we got into the car and headed to our next destination (KAHUKU SHRIMP!!! Review coming soon!). After our hearty lunch and a stop at Waimea Bay, my cousin Sara suggested we take a quick stop back at Laniakea just in case the turtles came out. Sure enough, there were three of them basking in the sun! One male and two females!! I don't remember their names (each one is named - if they're "sun bathing" usually the volunteers display a little description of what the turtle's name, what defining characteristics they have and their approximate age) but I remember that one was between 25-30 years old! I was able to take a few pictures and I was literally standing about 6-7 feet away from these amazing creatures (they are roped off so the public doesn't touch them)!! I've seen turtles before, but they were huge!!!
BONUS: WHALES!!! We saw whales in the ocean!! They were far away...and it appeared that there were three of them off in the distance!! The only reason we drove back through Haleiwa town was because I wanted to take a picture of the sign and try out Matsumoto's. Can you imagine?!? If we didn't go back I wouldn't have missed the turtles and the whales?!?! -
Review from Ruben A.
Salt Lake City, UT
5/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Awesome and so impressive! Get there early or battle with the traffic and parking on the side of the road. And don't touch the honu!
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Review from shopaholic v.
Irvine, CA
9/13/2010 6 photos
What else can I say that hasn't been said already?
he infamous Turtle Beach - really called Laniakea Beach - is such a treasure for a turtle lover like me! Bring your goggles and/or snorkel gear! We saw 1 turtle on land - roped off and carefully monitored over by the volunteers. After I learned about some horrific things some tourists were doing to the turtles, I'm so glad they were there!
My hubby and I saw 2 other turtles swimming and eating in the reefs! A much cooler sighting in water - though we don't have any pics.
Tip: We didn't see any turtles on our last trip to Hawaii on this drive. The volunteer told us it's best to see them in the afternoon.
Note on finding the beach: Parking is on the opposite side of the highway, directly in front of a ranch. -
Review from Lydia W.
8/17/2010
Come in the afternoon, or when the sun has been out for a good while.
We passed by around 11 when it had been raining, no turtles on the beach but saw some in the water. Around 2, there were 3 basking in the sun! It was so precious.
The turtles are roped off by the Honu protectors so you can't get super close, but it is truly a great sight to see.
If you come to the beach in your swimming gear and bring snorkeling gear, it is almost a guarantee you will be able to swim alongside a few sea turtles. They're everywhere! -
Review from .Nette T.
7/6/2007 2 photos
I've been meaning to write a review of this lovely beach but couldn't remember for the life of me what it was called until I saw Jay L.'s review. Thanks Jay :D
The first time I went was 4 years ago. I'm not really a beach person (OK so why go to Hawaii? The food and shopping!) but I made an exception for the honu (Hawaiian for turtle). The beach is not that visible from the road and you have to know approximately where it is to get to it. Well now busloads of tourists go so it's easy to spot.
After walking down to the beach I was struck at how magnificent these creatures were and fell in love! They were basking in the sun and managed to get close enough to take a picture of Mr. Slowsky sleeping. I saw 5 turtles in total, 2 on the beach and 3 in the water. I was too chicken to go into the water and feed limu to the turtles like all the other people but I don't think you're allowed to feed them now.Listed in: Hawaii
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Review from Andrew N.
1/27/2011
Really nice beach, not as packed as Waikiki which is a plus, but there are alof of tourist being dropped off here still. It says its unmarked, but the buses still come there and you still see poeple. Good place to watch people surf. Big waves, so if your an amateur, be carefull. Sat out and just ate spam masubis. Nice day at the beach. Can't wait to come back.
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Review from Thao N.
This place is a little difficult to find, but don't give up. It's a turtle sighting opportunity that NO ONE should ever pass up. The locals can point you in the right direction if you have trouble finding the spot.
If you want to see turtles up close and personal then you must come here. I've been to many beaches in Oahu and none can compare to this one when it comes to turtles.
When I came here, I saw two turtles basking in the sun. As I looked around in the water, I saw many turtles just swimming around. You might wonder why some of the turtles have antennas on them. Those turtles are the females and the antennas are used to track them when they go lay their eggs.
There are some very knowledgeable turtle guardians there to help protect the turtles. I asked a couple of questions and they always had an answer. It's amazing how turtles can live for a long time. I'm glad I had the opportunity to see these beautiful sea turtles.Listed in: Oh How I Miss You Oahu.
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Review from Andrew L.
Union City, CA
10/27/2009
I feel guilty for rating this less than the current average score. Don't get me wrong, I still think the beach is special because of the turtles that come up on shore naturally (beats going to a zoo or an aquarium)
Directions: This beach is hard to find, and very easy to miss. But its worth it. Basically drive on Kamehameha Highway from Haleiwa towards Waimea Beach. 2 miles BEFORE you reach Wiamea, you will see that the Highway comes very close to the water. Park on the side of the road where Kam Highway intersects Pohaku Way.
But my has this place changed over the years. Two big changes: 1) tourist buses have found out about this beach... this place used to feel serene and magical but now you have tourists stumbling off buses screaming "Oh my God! Turtles!" to kill the mood. 2) 'Turtle Ambassadors' work on the beach now and constantly scream at people who get too close to the turtles. I came within 8 feet of one and this old haole man told me to back off. Uhhh dude bro, relax.
I'm really torn about #2. I get why they need to be there. I'm sure some folks have messed with the turtles before. But they are super nazi about it in my opinion... power trip with their stupid little turtle ambassador vests. The lady ambassador said to my friend "I know of a better beach where you can see turtles...but I'm not going to tell you". I'm sorry, that's just immature and clearly shows that this lady is power trippin.
OK... I'm not going to end my review on a negative note because I still think this place is cool. Even if I can only be within 10 feet of a turtle, it still is an amazing experience to see turtles in the wild. A definite must-stop if you are on the north shore.Listed in: Oahu - Eats, Beaches
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Review from The Next Time O.
Seattle, WA
4/10/2010
Turtles.
Not the easiest place to find. If you drive from Waimea Bay Beach toward proper Haleiwa and you see cars parked across the street from the Beach, you have found it. There are no signs.
Great for kids to see the turtles sunbathing. However, this is a 15minute stop, not an all day affair. Not a true beach where kids can enjoy a full day. Stop and check out the turtles then move on.
The Next Time:
same as above - did it right the first time.
