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Onekahakaha Beach Park
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Onekahakaha Beach Park
Onekahakaha Beach Park is simply a great place to bring the family. You've got a picnic areas, grassy areas, shallow waters shielded by breakwaters, and even the occasional ice cream/shave ice truck.
The keiki (li'l ones) will just love this place based on the beach alone. With a wide range of depths from about 1-4 feet, youngsters of all ages and swimming abilities will enjoy the warm tropical waters here. If you bring your dive mask or swim goggles, you might even be able to catch a glimpse of some native aquatic life in their natural environment.
So, why not five stars? Onekahakaha killed my BlackBerry. Sure it was my fault that I left it in my board shorts, but that was only because I was so distracted with the natural beauty of this place and the inviting waters. Don't be so surprised if the same thing happens to you...
I have a panoramic shot of the beach park, but it's way too big to upload to Yelp. If you're interested, click here: http://www.flickr.com/...
Tidepooling!!! A truly unique experience for a visitor to the islands!
In elementary school, my science class visited Onekahakaha several times a year to go tidepooling. We'd take an inventory of the different sea creatures we saw throughout different areas of the tidepools. You'll see lots of brittle stars, sea cucumbers, cone and cowrie shells (with the animal still living inside), sea urchins, and these weird white wormy things. In the deeper areas of the tidepools, you can find some sea anemones.
Safety first...
1) Always wear tabis or closed-toe shoes when tidepooling
2) Always wear gloves (gardening gloves are okay), and use a pair of tongs to handle creatures gently--many are poisonous
3) Don't touch the black spiky sea urchins, and pick up a cone shell ONLY at the wide end, not at the tip
4) If you want to see what's under a rock, lift it AWAY from you, and always put it back exactly as you found it
In Hilo, this is about the best bet for a beach. You won't get a sparkling white sand beach with aquamarine colored water. But this is an excellent spot for tidepooling, and as other yelpers have pointed out, there's a decent and safe swimming area.
This was the first beach I went to in Hawaii.
It's incredibly beautiful, the color of the water is amazing. There's a few surrounding tide pools, which have sea turtles in them, and rocks to sit around them.
We had a picnic there, and it's a little windy, but the scenery can't be beat!
It's very rocky, but has great spots to sit and look out at the ocean.
There's also a small beach area further down, and a walled in swimming area.
I enjoyed the water, and laying in the sun here.
It's a lovely place to walk around in, and there's even trees to sit in the shade if you want.
This place is really gorgeous, if you're in the area, you really should stop.
Excellent beach for anyone visiting Hilo. There is a sandy area suitable for kids (well protected from the surf). Lots of lava rock areas throughout, great for spending an afternoon tidepooling. We have taken our niece and nephew here on many occasions, bringing a basic fishing pole. It is quite easy to catch small reef fish (pick up a telescoping pole from Walmart, some 2lb test fishing line and small #12's AH hooks - use raw shrimp as bait). Find an area with knee deep water and you should catch fish all day long.
There are picnic benches (bring a table cloth) and county restroom facilities (hold your breath) and trees to provide shady areas. Lifeguards are present, not exactly when tho.
There are more beach parks further east, I wouldn't recommend any area beyond this park as any tourist headed out there will get a taste of hawaiian sovereignty-
