Makapuu Beach

Makapuu Beach is located on the leeward side of Makapuu Point, the easternmost point on Oahu. A curved pocket of white sand approximately 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide, the beach sits at the base of a sea cliff, bounded by lava points. During the summer months, when the ocean is usually calm, the beach is wide with a gently slope, but during the winter months, it experiences a dramatic change in appearance. Seasonal high surf erodes the beach to half its width, exposing a large lava ledge at the waters edge.

Makapuu Beach is on e of Hawaiis most famous bodysurfing and bodyboarding beaches. Its popularity dates back to 1933, when the coastal road around the east end of the island was completed and people from all over Oahu were able to drive there. On a high surf day, the waves at Makapuu break in the middle of the bay off the center of the beach, providing long, exciting rides for bodysurfers and bodyboarders. Spectators, including visitors and residents, often fill the lookouts above the beach to watch the action below.

The vantage point of the lookouts above the beach also provides an excellent view of Waimanalo Bay and two islands immediately off shore. The smaller island is Kaohikaipu, commonly known as Black Rock. The larger island is Manana, commonly known as Rabbit Island. Rabbit Island was for many years the home of a small colony of rabbits, but none of them remain today. Both islands are state seabird sanctuaries.

A few of the activities at Makapuu Beach Park are bodyboarding, bodysurfing, fishing, and swimming.

High surf at Makapuu creates a pounding shore break and swift inshore currents. The currents often run directly into the rocks in the center and at either end of the beach. High surf also generates powerful rip currents, including one that runs seaward at the north end of the beach and another that follows the sea cliff toward the lighthouse at Makapuu Point. Lifeguards are on duty daily. Check with them before going in the rater. Makapuu is off-limits to surfers. The lifeguards can point out the extent of the restricted area.