Nanakuli Beach Park

This beach wasn’t as crowded and seemed to be mostly the locals hanging out, relaxing and bbqing. If you venture off to the left side of the beach you will want to wear sandals/​flip flops or water shoes as you will walk over lava rocks. Walk far enough you will find the mermaid caves. It’s somewhat diffuse climbing out of the caves but just be careful and make sure you are with someone if it’s your first time visiting the caves. Absolutely beautiful once you are in the caves.

My family and I ventured out to nanakuli beach after reading about this amazing «mermaid cave». we got out there about noon and there was quite a few parking spots open (note there are maybe 20 or so stalls available in the actually parking lot but later in the afternoon when we were leaving cars had started to line the streets fronting the parking lot)
If you don’t have a general idea about where to find it it maybe difficult but since it’s becoming a popular place it was pretty easy to find with the people that are surrounding it. It was high tide when we got there not to mention there was a high surf advisory so the «cave» space was very limited wth only crouching room but nonetheless beautiful and pretty cool. The multiple holes in the rocks were beautiful to look through and I felt safe with taking my 1 and 3 year old out there and into the cave.
After exploring the cave we went out to enjoy the rest of our day at the beach which is BEAUTIFUL! There were kids playing, families bbqing and the sun shining. There was a good amount of people there but not so much that you were on top of each other and the people there both local an tourists were all so friendly. Nothing but smiles and hellos the whole time we were there.
Overall I really enjoyed our experience and I’m sure that it’ll become one of our new family favorite beach.

The water is beautiful at this beach. Not much of a crowd, which is nice — lots of locals do hang out here. The lack of crowd gives you lots of room to lay out and swim.
Can be a bit confusing because there are a few different entrances and several parking lots. Not bad once you get the hang of it. There’s even a lot reserved for campers.
There are showers and restrooms too. Nice bonus.

I’ve been to this beach a couple of times because I live central and not westside. This beach is beautiful. It’s always sunny and has plenty of parking. There’s showers and a bathroom which is a plus .
The best thing about this beach is the beautiful cave. You must check this out. It’s gorgeous and has tons of shells :) We’re lucky we live Hawaii Unilocalers

I la la la LOVE this beach!
When I first moved to the west side and came here all I thought was, BEAUTIFUL! Yeah, I felt like I was going to pass out walking from one end to the other on the sloping part of the sand (not a smart idea for my first time there). But the sand is so soft, the water is clear and the breeze makes it perfect!
On either end you have areas where the «bombers» are jumping off the rocks, not to high, but I’m afraid of heights so I just enjoy watching. It does tend to get a bit rough, but it is the west side.
There is also a huge field where you can catch a glimpse of keiki football practice taking place. A basketball court is also located next to the field, a jungle gym for kids and pop up tents with lots of local grinds.
There are outdoor showers, because this is a popular beach the bathroom tends to get crowded and parking can be hard. But again, you are in the country so you pretty much make your own parking.
You are able to camp. I would love to camp here and wake up to the beautiful view. Clean water, fresh air, perfect sun, cool breeze and soft sand… Heaven!

Okay, so I’m definitely not much of a beach person but like most Unilocalers, I love good food. Some good friends were camping at Nanakuli Beach Park and invited me 2 a paella dinner on a Saturday afternoon. The best part was I was the assistant chef to help cook on a special 4 foot diameter paella pan. From start to finish I learned to cook authentic Brazilian paella. See my pictures to understand what I’m talking about.
Now about Nanakuli Beach Park, it is a good 40 minute drive from Waikiki and if you want to see more untouched natural Beach area then it is well worth the drive. Only 5 or 10 minute walk to the East takes you to are very rough natural lava stone area where small crabs and fish can easily be seen.
Camping permits are available for those that want to camp. There are the usual not very clean restrooms and showers. For me, it’s a great place to visit for a couple hours but definitely not to stay out overnight.

Great local beach park. Nice life guards and beautiful shades of blue water. Dog friendly and very few people.

Beautiful.
I recently moved here in August 2013 for college, so I live in Honolulu. It was so nice to get away from the city life for a little while.
We had to take the bus there, and though the neighborhood seems a little sketchy, it’s actually okay.
The beach is so perfect! The water is so clear, you can see out the ocean for miles. It’s not dirty like you’d expect Oahu beaches to be. There’s a lifeguard stand. The beach is a pretty standard size. There are picnic tables, restrooms, and showers. All pretty decent.
I love Nanakuli and the countryside.

Normally I would not go past Kapolei without a tetanus shot but on this occassion my cousins were able to secure a camping permit for this location only for Easter weekend. I’m not a great big fan of camping but I do like to stop by and hang out. So I decided to make the trek down to the west, westside. The park is actually clean, cleaner than Ala Moana Beach Park. Parking is abundant and the facilities are well maintained. I think I just might sleep over next time they decided to camp here again… maybe.

Beautiful beach. During sunrise and sunsets especially water is so glassy and reflective. Most times ocean is calm but even on calm days, currents can be strong so beware and stay alert when going into the water if you are not familiar. There are lifeguards stationed at this beach.
Equipped with bathrooms and showers so perfect for camping and picnics. White sandy beach… if you have sensitive feet… I wouldn’t go barefoot too much as there are thorns and other poky items in the sand.
Please don’t litter and leave trash behind. Respect the locals in the area. There are several small parking lots, first come first serve unless camping then double check the permit rules on parking.

Nice white sandy beach. Good fishing, diving and Swimming. has showers and restrooms. Lots of parking if you arrive early. Favorite local Fishing spot