Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hauula Beach Park, which fronts Kamehameha Highway, is a straight and narrow stretch
(about 1,000 ft. long), shaded by kamani and ironwood trees. An offshore reef protects the wa-
ters off the beach, but the shallow and rocky bottom makes the area unsafe for swimming.
Snorkeling is good along the edge of the coral reef, and fishing for papio and goatfish can be
fruitful. Picnic and camping facilities are available. Weekends tend to be more crowded here,
too. TheBus no. 55 (Circle Island) will get you to Hauula Beach.
POUNDERS BEACH
Because of its easy access and great bodysurfing waves, Pounders is a popular weekend beach.
The beach used to be called Pahumoa, after a local fisherman who arranged the local hukilau
(the catching of fish in a net) and made sure that the elderly living in the area received a
portion of the catch. The name change occurred in the 1950s, when a group of students at
the Church College of the Pacific (now Brigham Young University-Hawaii) called the beach
“Pounders” after the crushing shore break that provided brief but spectacular bodysurfing
rides; the nickname stuck.
Pounders is a wide beach, extending a quarter-mile between two points. At the west end
of the beach, next to the old landing, the waters usually are calm and safe for swimming.
However, at the opposite end, near the limestone cliffs, there's a shore break that can be dan-
gerous for inexperienced bodysurfers; there the bottom drops off abruptly, causing strong rip
currents. The weekends and after-school hours are the busiest time for this beach; weekday
mornings are the quietest. Park on Kamehameha Highway in Kailua, or take TheBus no. 55
(Circle Island) to get here.
The North Shore
BANZAI/PIPELINE/EHUKAI BEACH PARK
★
Because the sandy beach here is continuous, with only one sign—ehukai beach park—most
people think of this area as one beach park, although it's actually three separate ones. Located
near Pupukea,
EhukaiBeachPark
is 1 acre of grass with a parking lot. The long, broad, white-
sand beach is known for its winter surfing action. Swimming is good during the spring and
summer months, but currents and waves prohibit safe swimming in the winter. The surf in
front of Ehukai Beach Park is excellent for body and board surfers.
The park also provides access to Pipeline and Banzai.
Pipeline
is actually about 100 yards
to the left of Ehukai Beach Park. When the winter surf rolls in and hits the shallow coral shelf,
the waves that quickly form are steep—so steep, in fact, that the crest of the wave falling for-
ward forms a near-perfect tube, or “pipeline.” Surfers have tried for years to master Pipeline;
many have wiped out, suffering lacerations and broken bones on the shallow reef. The first
surfer to ride Pipeline successfully was Phil Edwards in the early 1960s. Even today, Pipeline
still causes its share of injuries and fatalities.
Just west of Pipeline is the area surfers call
“Banzai Beach.”
The Japanese word banzai
means “10,000 years”; it's given as a toast or as a battle charge, meaning “go for it.” In the
late 1950s, filmmaker Bruce Brown was shooting one of the first surf movies ever made, Surf
Safari, when he saw a bodysurfer ride a huge wave. Brown yelled, “Banzai!” and the name
stuck. In the winter, this is a very popular beach with surfers, surf fans, curious residents, and
