Anchorage· Hawaii (Big Island)· Hawaii
Kua Bay (Manini'owali Beach)
19° 48.7′ N · 156° 0.5′ W
A white-sand pocket of brilliant blue water at the north end of Kekaha Kai State Park, and the one safe intermediate anchorage on the 27-mile run between Honokohau and Kawaihae. Turtles and, in summer, dolphins come close to shore.
Practical
Noodle's Notes GPS 19-48.67N 156-00.5W: depth 15-25 ft, sand, not a regulated area, summer only (no north swell). Trades that make it over the 3,000-ft Mauna Kea-Kohala saddle usually arrive mid to late afternoon and last until well after dark, and they blow offshore here: you arrive to a gentle onshore thermal breeze, so anchor as close in as practical for protection when the trades fill. Only public restrooms ashore; no services. A Malama Kai Foundation day-use mooring is charted at 19.81293, -156.00812. The beach has a powerful shorebreak when surf is up (popular with bodyboarders); land a dinghy only in calm conditions. Paved road access means it is busy on weekends; state park hours are 8am to 7pm.
Best for
Midway stop on the Kona-Kohala coast with a white-sand beach
Season
Summer months when no north swell is present
Nearby
- Winter North Swell on the Kona-Kohala AnchoragesRight here
- Kikaua Point Beach Park0.6 NM away
- Kuki'o Beach0.9 NM away
- Kekaha Kai State Park (Makalawena)1.7 NM away
- Mahai'ula to Makalawena Coastal Walk2.1 NM away
- Mahai'ula Beach (Kekaha Kai State Park)2.4 NM away
- Kiholo Bay Anchorage4.6 NM away
- Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA)4.8 NM away