Malaekahana Beach
Malaekahana Beach is a crescent-shaped white sand beach a little more than one mile long and varying in width from 100 to 200 feet. It curves between Kalanai Point to the south and Makahoa Point to the north and is backed by low dunes overgrown by ironwood trees. Most of the beach is fronted by a shallow sandbar, where the ocean slopes gently to overhead depths. Small surf generated by the trade winds usually breaks on the sandbar year-round.
Malaekahana is a long, beautiful beach that for many years has been a popular beach home site for residents of Honolulu. Although it is well known as an excellent beach for Japanese fishing floats (“glass balls”), it is probably best known for Goat Island, a twelve-acre limestone island covered with vegetation, primarily ironwood trees. Like almost all of Oahu’s small offshore islands, Goat Island is a state seabird sanctuary, but permits are not required to visit as long as the birds are left alone. Wedge-tailed shearwaters use the center of the island for their nesting burrows, so this is an especially sensitive area during the summer months. Avoid stepping into a shearwater’s burrow by limiting your explorations to the island’s shoreline or to the single trail across it.
A few of the many activities at Malaekahana Beach are beachcombing, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, fishing, snorkeling, surfing, and swimming.
Although Malaekahana is not considered to be one of Oahu’s North Shore beaches, it is subject to the same high surf conditions experienced every winter on the North Shore. Although the surf here is not as high as farther north, it does generate strong longshore currents, especially in the narrow strait between Kalanai Point and Goat Island. This is an important safety consideration for anyone who is attempting to wade between the point and the island. On many occasions the currents have swept waders out of the shallows into the deeper waters of Laie Bay, sometimes with tragic results. The best time to cross is when there is no surf and the tide is low. If conditions are not favorable, wait for another day. There are no lifeguards here. And if you do decide to make the crossing, wear tabi (Japanese-style rubber shoes) or running shoes. The ocean bottom is rocky.
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