As a young volcanic island, Hawaii’s Big Island offers a wide range of beaches and sands of many different colors. Frequently these beaches are hidden away in small coves and often the sand can be gritty and sharp. For our teen and tween, who have been raised going to the Jersey Shore, a trip to the beach means soft sugar sand and waves for body surfing all day. If this sounds like your travelling companions then Hapuna Beach is the place to go. This is another in our series on the Top 10 Big Island of Hawaii activities for families travelling with teens and tweens. Click the link to see the rest!
Hapuna Beach Worth the Drive
On the Big Island, ocean front hotels and resorts do not necessarily include direct access to a beach. Many hotels and condos are situated on lava cliffs which are beautiful but don’t offer much in the way of a real beach experience. Unless you are staying in one of the few resorts that are directly on a good beach, you owe it to your teens to get in the car and take the drive to Hapuna Beach.
Hapuna Beach was everything our teen and tween wanted in a beach
The half-mile long crescent beach is everything you expect from a beach on a tropical island! The sand itself is truly white and the slope into the water is so gentle that you can go out over 100 feet to body surf or just enjoy the waves. We were told there is good snorkeling at the north end of the beach, past the hotel, but we had so much fun in the waves we never got that far.
Hapuna Beach offers white sand and gentle waves
This is a state beach so you won’t find any waitresses bringing you drinks with umbrellas in them. There is however, a great little snack bar where we got burgers for lunch and shaved ice for dessert. The beach also offers lifeguards, showers, bathrooms and picnic tables in shaded areas overlooking the beach. We went during the week and had no problem with crowds, although it is likely to fill up more on the weekends when local people have a chance to enjoy their island’s beautiful beach!
A word to the wise
A word to the wise, as with any Big Island beach pay attention to rip tide warnings. We were at Hapuna late in August and the waves were perfect. However, when winter storms rage off shore and the waves go above 3 ft., conditions can become dangerous.
That’s one of the best photos of Hapuna Beach I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen hundreds.
One note about it: while it’s true the slope is very gentle, it ends abruptly if one goes out far enough. I know this personally because it’s as close to drowning as I’ve ever come, and I’ve been swimming at beaches for over 40 years. While researching the experience I discovered Hapuna claims more drowning victims every year on the island than any other beach, not only because of occasionally hazardous winter conditions but also because of this shelf dropoff. You can be bobbing peacefully in shoulder-high water and suddenly there will be no bottom at all, with no way to reach one. Not a big deal if one relaxes and treads water long enough, but if panic sets in (it eventually did with me) it can become a life-threatening situation.
That said, Hapuna is easily the best beach on the island and very close to heaven imo.
Good reminder Jeff, Hapuna can be particularly dangerous in the winter months – but is always beautiful!