Very nice beach access! The park has grass and ironwood trees for shade, paved paths including a locally-rare bike path that sadly ends too soon, restrooms with freshwater shower heads, benches facing the water, a reasonable amount of parking, and an old pier you can use for launching small water craft. The excellent Kalapawai Market is right there within walking distance if you need some food.

There’s also a canoe clubhouse on the Ka-elepulu canal which débouches at the park, and the off shore area is popular with paddlers and kite surfers.

The strand itself is a pleasant white sand beach with a gentle break that makes it great for kids and for strolling along getting a sand pedicure. If you want bigger surf, you can paddle a ways out to the tiny Popoi’a Island where there’s a consistent break that is popular with surfers and outriggers. Beyond the pier at the end of the beach is a small rocky headland with some minor tide pools that sometimes harbor small fishes and invertebrates at low tide.

There are only two problems with this place. First, you want to pay attention to that canal: when it’s been raining (usually in winter), the runoff reaches the ocean and it’s pretty foul—you don’t want to be swimming around in that soup, especially if you have any open wounds. The prevailing breeze will usually send that ugly water NW and out of the south half of the park but not always. I would never jump in when the water is brown!

The second issue may not bother you as much as it does me, but the snorkeling here is pretty lame. There are usually turtles around, but the water really just isn’t deep enough to maintain good visibility and protect coral until you get out past the island, and then you have swell to worry about. But a lot of the island is like this: Hanauma Bay is popular for a reason. As a volcanic crater, it’s a rare bit of protected shoreline.