O'ahu - Hawaii - page 180

To get to the beach park, turn makai (seaward) off Kamehameha Hwy onto Oʻopuola
St, near Ted's Bakery. If the beach lot is full, there's overflow parking across the street.
ʻEhukai Beach Park BEACH
(59-337 Ke Nui Rd) ʻEhukai Beach, aka Banzai Pipeline , Pipeline or Pipe - call it what you
want, but if it's big surf you seek, this is the place. It's known the world over for having
the biggest, heaviest and closest-to-perfection barrels in all of wave riding. At the beach,
there's a lifeguard tower, outdoor showers, restrooms, drinking water and picnic tables.
When strong westerly swells kick up in winter, these waves jack up to monster size,
often topping out above 15ft before breaking on the ultrashallow reef below. For expert
board riders who know what they're doing (no, a day of lessons at Waikiki Beach doesn't
count), this could be surfing's holy grail. The waves break only a few yards offshore, so
spectators are front-row and center. In the summer months everything calms down and
there's even some decent snorkeling off this beach.
The beach parking lot is off the Kamehameha Hwy (Hwy 83), opposite Sunset Beach
Neighborhood Park.
Pupukea Beach Park BEACH
(59-727 Kamehameha Hwy) Pupukea, meaning 'white shell,' is an unusually scenic beach,
with deep blue waters protected as a marine-life conservation district and a mix of lava
and white sand along a varied coastline. The long beach encompasses Three Tables to the
south, Sharks Cove to the north and Old Quarry in the center, where you'll find outdoor
showers and restrooms.
At Sharks Cove , the white-tipped reef sharks here aren't usually aggressive unless
you disturb or otherwise provoke them. Just keep your distance and don't approach them.
In summer, when the seas are calm, the cove has superb snorkeling (wear reef walkers to
protect your tender malihini feet), as well as Oʻahu's most popular cavern dive. Begin-
ning divers take lessons here, while underwater caves will thrill advanced divers. Some
caves are very deep and labyrinthine, and there have been a number of drownings, so
only venture into them with a local expert.
At Old Quarry , the beach's natural rock features are jagged, sculpted and look as if
they were cut by human hands, but rest assured that these features are natural. Coastal
tide pools are intriguing micro-habitats for marine creatures, best explored at low tide.
Be careful, especially if you have kiddies in tow, because these rocks are razor sharp.
Three Tables gets its name from the flat ledges rising above the water. In winter dan-
gerous rip currents flow between the beach and the tables. In summer, only when the wa-
ter is calm, it's good for snorkeling and diving. You might see some action by snorkeling