White Plains Beach

I’m not too fond of this beach. The sand has a lot of debris that makes it uncomfortable to walk in. It’s small. This would not be my first choice.

One of my favorite beaches! Love to bodyboard here when there is a swell. Many, many memories here as well being that I grew up going to this beach a lot.

We came on the right day, no one there! The waves were calm and perfect for the kids to swim.

One of our favorite beach! Now that my fiancé is back into surfing, we find ourselves here more often. I also like that they cabins available (military only), we recently booked a weekend for the summer so I’ll be Unilocaling about that and our experience :)
This beach has tons of parking! Lots of military families and locals come here, hardly any tourist which I like, it doesn’t get tooooo crowded. There’s a place for swimming and surfing and lifeguards are on duty at some hours, especially the weekends.
If you’re not here to swim or surf and just hang out with friends and families, they have pavilions to BBQ and volleyball net!

Love this place! Wish I saw a seal, but a great time anyway. My kids had their first lesson on handling themselves in minor swells and choppy conditions. Great place for first timer kids.

I came here as a kid when it was still Barber’s Point, a Naval Air Staion military base. For me, it is sad the base has gone. However, I am glad the beaches still remain and are thriving stronger and better. Back in the day, this beach would not have that many people frequenting it as it does today. Many local surfers come here because of the numerous sets and you do not have to go out very far. You have a nice view of Diamond Head too. And, on occasion you will see the monk seals, a turtle every now and then too. It’s also great to come here for parties or just to bbq. There is a grassy area behind the sandy beach if you feel like just chillin here. Oh, there’s a couple monks now. (see pic)
#75/​300 ‘2016

A nice little beach located between Ewa Beach and Kapolei. I recommend this beach to people that live in Central Oahu. This place is nice, they have rentals, and covered lanais for bbqs, but pretty sure you gotta rent them through the mwr facilities prior to using them.
This place is nice, the beach is usually calm, with a lot of military and families who aren’t necessarily from here but not tourist.
Go to spot when you’re not wanting to drive all the way to town or north shore.

This is my spot right now for surf. I appreciate the cleanliness of the facilities, and that MWR has rentals. We plan on booking a cabin this summer and I suggest you make reservations way in advance if you decide to stay there.
I have a great time when I come out here.

Had a great time surfing, rentals are super cheap. Parking was good. Facilities were clean easy to get to m staff was great

I love this beach so much! Rentals, such as surfboards etc. are for military only. But about the beach: absolutely awesome! The waves can get pretty intense, that’s the fun part, right? We were there for only a short period of time, maybe 30 minutes because we had to get a flight out and I wanted to visit a beach before we left. We will definitely visit this one again when we go back. Maybe we will be lucky enough to spot a seal!

We visited this place for the first time due to an Army event being held there. This beach seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. After driving a good distance and seeing nothing but trees, we finally saw a sign (White Plains and Barbers Point). This place gets pretty packed with surfers and learners, but you can get parking if you go early. Even though it was raining, that didn’t stop anyone from being at the beach… this is Hawaii after all.
When we made our little spot on the sand, I saw how choppy the water was and I was afraid for our daughter… and for me haha. Luckily my boyfriend always comes to the rescue when the waves are about to slam me on the shore. Even though this is a great beach for surfing, this isn’t a calm swimming type of beach. The waves are pretty big for young kids. You spend your time jumping and dodging the waves more than just relaxing in the water.
The pros: there is a bathroom, place to rent surf boards, grass spots to have a picnic with tables and a lifeguard.
I’m sure many love this beach for either boogie-​boarding or surfing, but it is just not my cup of tea. View was good for pictures though.

This is a great place for surf and family. Locals were really cool to us on the beach and out in the line up.

Considering I live in Ewa the beaches are kinda limited out here, but this place ain’t bad at all! I don’t come out here too often but when I do, it’s been a pleasurable experience. I remember when i used to come out here years ago, this beach used to be a dump. But they’ve really stepped/​cleaned this place up. Has plenty of parking, showers to rinse off, life guards on duty, grass area to grill on and not tooo packed with ppl which is nice if you wanna roll up and find a quick spot and relax. Waves ain’t too rough, seen a bunch of kids in the water when I was there. Overall, if you find yourself on the west side of Oahu and need a beach, you should def check this beach out. I think you’ll give it a thumbs up also!

Nice, chill beach on the south side that everyone comes to. It’s easy for me because it’s the closest beach to my house. I come here pretty often and there’s always surfers, paddle boarders, bodyboarders, and whatnot. The weekends have a lot of family BBQ’s. Everyone’s just doing they’re only little thing here!

Location:
White Plains Beach is located in Kalaeloa between Ewa Beach and Kapolei. You’ll have to past the Kalaeloa Rental Homes and an air strip before you get to the beach. Parking is minimal but you can park on the open dirt area.
Military Affiliation:
One of the Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s ITT office is located here. If your looking to book a luau or a flight package come check this place out. They do not accept cash. They accept credit card and check only.
Equipment such as surfboards, paddleboard and bodyboards are available for rent. You must be military to rent out the equipment here.
Beach:
You can find monk seals sunbathing on the sand on most days.
The waves are rough here. I normally don’t swim too far out. There are a lot of rocks on the bottom so be careful where you are stepping. You’ll typically see surfers, bodyboarders and sun bathers.
Amenities:
There are bathrooms and showers at this beach. No eateries in the area besides a vending machine.
Overall, it’s a decent beach to go if you live near Ewa Beach and Kapolei.

It is a lot cleaner then I remember as a kid. There is a lot of parking, but you have to park on the rocks. Not that much shade parking unless you go early. You are most likely to see monk seals and if they are swimming in the water they will close down the whole beach. Cute beach but you cannot bring your dogs.

Great little beach without all the tourists. Plenty of parking at the lot they have here.
Boyfriend took me here for a day out at the beach and it was the first time I went surfing! Sand is clean and great place to just hang out and chill. Great place to learn where to surf if you haven’t been before because the waves are pretty calm. You’ll see plenty of surfers, paddle boarders, and boogie boarders out in the waters.

Nice beach. Not too crowded. PLENTY of parking just have to walk a little bit. Clean beach lifeguards present. Every once in a while a seal will drop but I rest. Be aware that the lifeguards make a HUGE area for them when they beach themselves.

If you don’t live in Ewa then you’re probably saying «Where the heck is this place?!» I know this because that’s exactly what went through my head as my husband drove me through the backroads of Ewa Beach. I’m pretty sure if you offered me $ 1,000,000 to find it again I probably wouldn’t be able to locate it to save my life.
Even though it’s not familiar to me, it’s sure popular with lots of other folks! It was a Saturday afternoon when we drove up and the parking lot was packed with cars. White Plains Beach is a beach BBQ mecca for local families and surfers. There are covered BBQ areas which are always full or you can bring your own pop-​up tent.
This is definitely a super local local beach so probably not the best place to hang if you’re a tourist. If you have small children under the age of five, this is not the best place to take them swimming because the waves and currents are pretty rough. Although we did take our little three year old out surfing with a lifejacket on and the size of the waves were perfect. What I do love is that the showers and restrooms are cleaner than most public parks and recreations facilities. I’m pretty sure this is because it’s a federally owned property.
I wouldn’t say this is my favorite beach, not by a long shot. But I’m giving it an extra star because it’s easy to access if you live on the West side and there’s ample parking, unlike nearby picturesque Ko’olina which is near impossible on a weekend. Perfect spot to grab some bentos and drink a few beers while watching the sunset. Plus we had a blast taking our little one surfing for the very first time!

This is my husbands and my daughters favorite beach because the waves are similar to the ones at Waikiki (short and frequent), but the place isn’t swarming with tourists taking surf lessons so there’s ample area to surf without worrying about a newbie running into you.
It’s a clean beach and there are a lot of families who come here. If you’re military, there’s a surf board/​paddle board rental shop nearby. There are outdoor showers as well as bathrooms. There’s also racks to rinse your boards on. It’s also nice that there is a lifeguard on duty. I’ve never had a hard time finding close parking. The fellow surfers are courteous. You’ll even see a monk seal occasionally basking in the sun. They are frequently seen here, so people I’m assuming who are animal activist, will rope off the area so the seals aren’t disturbed.
This beach is centrally located between Kapolei and Ewa, so it’s a great place on the Leeward side to surf or just catch some sun.

First time here and it was nice. Water wasn’t as clear as the other beaches but still was nice. I would come back but I still love Waikiki

This is a fantastic public beach that most people know are open to the public.
Located between Kapolei and Ewa Beach, white plains beach has plenty of parking, lifeguards and rentals for DOD employees.
The big draw is the amount of parking available. You just can’t beat that!

Huge monk seal just came ashore at 1140, was swimming along the beach under kids and people swimming around them… it’s huge!

I came here helping different adults that have mental disabilities. There is a program called AccesSurf (
) that helps disabled people be able to enjoy the ocean and water sports. There is the first Sat. of the month that about 200 volunteers and about 50 participants meet in the morning to go surfing, swimming and use adaptive water equipment to go into the ocean, even though they may have legs that can not move or have down syndrome. They also have a wounded warrior veterans program to help those returning from service that can enjoy surfing.
The beach is on different tv shows as people like the ’ move that bus’ guy sends people to Hawaii while they fix the house and then have the film crew visit them at this beach.
The beach is really great– it is controlled and policed the most out of any beach I can think of on Oahu. There are police check points sometimes, there are MPs walking with police dogs, there are just cops in uniform random times I have been there. It feels safe– and read that — very few if any ever homeless.
The sand is beautiful. The wind is strong enough for currents but not so strong that wind is always blowing sand in your eyes like Kailua.
The bathrooms are real– there is tp in the stalls and the stalls are not ripped out of the walls like other beaches– and there are no homeless guards protecting there turf. So you can use them at any time.
There is a shack shop that sometimes is open and sells snacks and rents surf stuff. I would call ahead of time and get the number before I counted on it though.
There are good lifeguards that ride atvs and check on safety, the beach, surfers and watch for seals.
More than a few times– monk seals make land fall and just sun where they want. Pictures are great and close if they are there– and the lifeguards rope off areas to not get to close.
Great for kids.

On an island with great beaches, Barbers Point sticks out. It’s not Waikiki or the North shore, but Barbers Point has a lot to offer that other, more well known, beaches are seriously lacking. To start off with, Barbers Point ain’t touristy or commercialized. Outside of the occasional guy selling Pickled Mangos out of his car, you aren’t going to find food trucks or overpriced restaurants. But, because those things aren’t here, this place also doesn’t have hordes of tourists.
Now, Barbers Point is probably a bit different from your typical tourist sunning spots because it wasn’t a public beach until the Airbase was downsized in the late 90s. Locals know about the spot, and it’s still a favorite for the military, but it’s rare that outsiders venture this far off the reservation.
As far as the beach is concerned, it’s perfect for beginner surfers and body boarders. Compared to the North Shore, it’s a bit more congested on the Beach, but nowhere near as packed-​in as Waikiki.
Another fun aspect of Barbers Point is the prevalence of Monk Seals. I don’t think I have ever been to this beach when there wasn’t a Monk Seal sunbathing. I’ve seen as many as four seals here at one time, so it can be like a poor mans Sea World. One challenge with so many seals is that volunteers rope off 20 feet of beach around each seal to keep the riffraff away (I can just see the kids going all Free Willy without the ropes). But, 20 feet of rope on each side means less beach for frolicking in the sun: four seals packs us in like sardines. On another note, don’t cross the rope unless you’d like to drop up to $ 1500 in fines: big no no.
For those wannabe surfers, the Military Water Recreation (MWR) rents surfing equipment. So, if you’re wanting to test out your surfing skills (or practice your wipeout recovery), Barbers Points’ learner waves are right for you.

3 Stars as in «A-​OK,» as in it is a beach, and you can swim and surf, and by definition generally serves its purpose. But do yourself a favor and ignore all the 5 Star reviews on here posted by military who obviously have never visited any other beach on the island.
Here’s a rule of thumb with Hawaiian beaches: If the beach has a small designated swim area because the rocks and reef are so jagged they will slice you like a half-​cooked pizza, then the beach isn’t 5 Stars. And this particular beach is worse, because you never know WHAT kind of old military gear and ordnance you’re going to step on in the shallow surf.
This beach, being on a former military base, also has its share of eyesores — not the least of which is a gigantic rusty fence which ruins any landscape photos of the Diamond Head area you had in mind. It’s like having a giant telephone pole in your rainbow photo.
A few good points to this beach: Big party area, frequent monk seal visits, great spot to learn how to surf, and generally not very crowded.