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Kawela Bay Beach Park,  North Shore, Oahu

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Introduction

Kawela, or “the heat,” is the most protected bay on O’ahu’s North Shore. Reefs outside the bay diffuse high surf during the winter months and leave the nearshore waters calm and current-free. A sand beach lines the inner shore of the bay where the ocean bottom is primarily sand with small patch reefs. Several surf sites are located outside the bay on the outer reefs.

Punaulua, a freshwater pond, is a well-known historic site on the bay’s west shore. Its spring waters surface in the ocean where they once attracted ulua, or crevalle fish. Throw-net fishermen could usually count on finding ulua near the spring, the origin of the name Punaulua, or “ulua spring.”

Kawela Bay was once lined with homes along its entire length, but the residents from the east point of the bay to the center of the beach were evicted in 1986 to make way for a resort that was never built. The resort was planned to include public access through a small public beach park near the intermittent stream that crosses the beach, but the park was never built either. Beachgoers reach the bay by following the shore from the Turtle Bay Resort.

Public amenities: none.

Ocean activities: fishing, snorkeling, surfing, swimming.

This description is taken from John R. K. Clarks book "Beaches of Oahu - Revised Edition" which is published by University of Hawai'i Press and available from amazon.com at this link. We thank John R. K. Clark for providing his description of Hawaii's beaches to improve beach safety.