Waimea Beach

The shoreline of Waimea Bay is a broad white sand beach approximately 1,500 feet long and 150 feet wide. The width of the beach varies seasonally. Sand moves to the east end during the winter and to the west end during the summer. High surf during the winter months also erodes the foreshore and moves sand into the deeper waves offshore. This process reverses during the summer when the sand accretes, rebuilding the beach. The beach at Waimea is called a bay-mouth bar because its sand normally blocks the mouth of Waimea River. During periods of heavy rains, the river erodes the sand barrier and flows into the ocean, flooding the bay with mirky brown water.

Waimea Bay is internationally famous as the home of some of the biggest surfing waves in the world. During the winter months, waves up to twenty-five feet high provide some of the most exciting and dangerous surfing conditions imaginable. When a big swell is running, surfers and spectators from all over the island crowd the shoreline of the bay to watch the action at the point. In addition, high surf produces a powerful, pounding shorebreak that itself may reach heights of ten feet or greater. The combination of the huge waves at the point and in the shorebreak generate some of the most dangerous nearshore currents and ocean conditions in Hawaii. For this reason, Waimea has been the site of untold numbers of rescues, injuries, and fatalities. If you are not an expert big wave rider, stay out of the bay during periods of high surf. Come back during the summer when there is no surf and the water is as calm as a lake.

A few of the activities at Waimea Bay are bodyboarding, bodysurfing, fishing, snorkeling, surfing, and swimming.

High surf generates dangerous water conditions, including powerful shorebreaks, longshore currents, rip currents, and backwashes sweeping across the foreshore. The high surf season normally occurs during the winter and spring months, beginning in October and ending in May. Lifeguards are on duty daily. Check with them before going in the water.

Oahu Hawaii Vacation Rentals