After all, Big Island is the place of towering green Jurassic Park-looking valleys, mystical fairy forests of ironwood trees browsed by wild horses, bubbling lava cauldrons at the summits of volcanoes, and waterfalls as tall as office buildings crashing into turquoise pools of water with rainbows forming out of the ensuing mist. It seems that everywhere you go on this island there’s another spectacle of incalculable natural beauty hiding behind every bend in the road, so it’s no wonder that the word “magic” gets thrown around often while describing the sights to see on trip to the youngest Hawaiian isle.

But head roughly four miles south along the main commercial seaside boulevard in Kona Town known as “Ali’i Drive”, and visitors will find a pristine beach park that truly does its own magic trick; it’s a short crescent-shaped plot of white sand and jutting black lava rocks that’s immensely popular with swimmers, sunbathers and boogie boarders known as “Magic Sands Beach”. In fact, this serene stretch of sandy Kona coastline is often ranked among the best beaches on Big Island for boogie boarding, and in the past has hosted the Magic Sands Body Surfing Championship – the only event of its kind on the entire island.

Magic Sands for the most part is what surfers call “beach break”. This is where, absent an offshore reef to induce the incoming rolling waves to form barrels and crash in deep water, the waves make their way into shore unencumbered and crash close to the beach in a spectacular explosion of white sand, misty spray and bubbling sea foam. Summer months see much tamer waves than winter ones at Magic Sands, with frequent high surf advisories issued for the beach during the winter swell when swimming, playing and boarding in the waves can become extremely dangerous.

And it is precisely the force of these intimidating winter waves which makes the beach’s magic trick possible. After a day of heavy surf crashing against the blanket of white sand and rolling back out again, the smaller particles of sand are dragged offshore leaving behind a bed of jagged, unforgiving rocks. A day later, changing wind and ocean conditions manage to blow the sand back again, making the beach appear wildly different from one day to the next. It’s a common experience; visitors will have a perfect once-in-a-lifetime beach day at Magic Sands sunbathing, swimming, picnicking and watching the sunset over a postcard-quality soft, gently sloping bay of white sand, only to come back the next morning to a completely different sight: blasting waves and badly eroded swaths of tumbling black lava rocks with not a single boogie boarder or swimmer in sight.

Luckily for wintertime ocean-goers, there’s a well-staffed lifeguard tower prominently situated out on the sand beside the park’s volleyball court. During these big swell days, lifeguards are usually blaring notices about current ocean conditions, and if in doubt simply find the tower and ask those working inside whether it’s a good idea to go for a swim or not. As always, keep in mind the statewide Hawaii ocean safety motto: “If in doubt, don’t go out”.

La’aloa – A “Very Sacred” Place

The sandy swimming spot’s official name is “La’aloa Beach Park”, meaning “very sacred” in the Hawaiian language. This name traces back to an 800-year-old ancient Hawaiian temple built ages ago on the south end of the beach known as “Haukalua Heiau” – the word “heiau” meaning temple – the ruins of which can still be seen along Ali’i Drive today. The purpose of this seaside temple has been lost to history, but traditional Hawaiian spirituality holds it to be sacred ground nonetheless. There are several other names for Magic Sands Beach mostly popular among locals, including White Sands Beach and Disappearing Sands.

Besides the temple, other historical spots found near the beach park include a stone honoring the god of fishermen known as a “kuula”, a canoe landing platform, a “papamu” also known as a Hawaiian checkerboard, bait mortars, and a boundary wall marking the edge of a lavafield of smooth, ropey black rock known as “pahoehoe”.

Today, these ancient sites are found along a miles-long commercial strip of hotels, restaurants, gear rental shops, convenience stores and trinket shops. For visitors wanting to experience a day of world-class boogie boarding at Magic Sand Beach – again, often ranked the best beach for it on the entire island – the rental shop called Boss Frog’s is located right up the street and has very reasonable rates: Roughly 10 dollars a day or around 25 dollars per week for board rentals.

Snorkeling and scuba gear can also be rented in Kona Town, and there is a rocky cove at the south end of Magic Sands Beach with fantastic snorkeling grounds of lava rock nooks and crannies inhabited by the island’s many colorful, curious forms of sea life. Exploring this cove, however, is only viable on days with calm water, and accessing it can become extremely treacherous when sets of big rollers come into shore.

In addition to the lifeguard tower and volleyball court, amenities at Magic Sands include a handful of picnic tables situated beneath a grove of shady broad-leafed trees and coconut palms, beside which is a modern restroom facility with a colorful mural painted on its outside wall, as well as stands of outdoor public showers for washing off the extremely fine and surprisingly sticky white sand. Occasionally, food trucks set up shop in the beach park’s parking lot, serving up typical barbecue fare like hamburgers, shave ice, tacos, ice cream, smoothies and the like. 

Found just a stone’s throw from the white sand is Magics Beach Grill, with dine-in options either within the restaurant or outside on the patio overlooking the beach itself. The Grill served up entrees like fish and chips, ahi steak, mushroom pasta and fully-loaded salads. For a quicker and simpler bite to eat, the Beach Shack found right beside the restaurant offers breakfast and lunch items like burritos, acai bowls, baked goods, burgers, fish tacos, and specialities like smoked ahi chowder.

For beach-goers wanting a taste of local Hawaiian comfort food, “Da Poke Shack” is roughly a mile north of Magic Sands Beach and serves poke bowls (raw cubed, seasoned Hawaiian fish) in an astonishing variety of flavors – everything from spicy ahi to octopus, scallops, cod, crab and more. For under 20 dollars, diners can select two choices of poke, a healthy scoop of white or brown rice, and a side dish like potato or macaroni salad, calamari, kimchi mussels, garlic edamame or seaweed salad. The Shack only sells poke bowls to go, so lunch-goers might as well bring their fishy delights to the beach and find a patch of shade for a tropical picnic.

How To Get There

Magic Sands Beach is easily spotted on the right-hand side of Ali’i Drive roughly four miles south of downtown Kona. It is one of a string of highly popular beach parks grouped together along the Kona Coast, including Pahoehoe Beach Park, Kahaluu Beach Park, and the informal surfing spot known as “Lymans”.

Look out for the hand-carved wooden sign painted in brown and tan reading “La’aloa Bay Beach Park”, which is visible from the road and located next to the park’s restroom and shower facilities. To the right of the sign is a well-shaded sunbathing and picnic area set just up from the beach itself, with a grouping of large black lava rocks poking out of the sand.

Immediately south of the beach park is a small parking lot that is almost always full, especially on sunny afternoons with medium-sized surf. Across the street from Magic Sands, however, is a larger lot with ample parking made up of a smaller paved area leading to a large gravel section. There’s also parallel street parking along the southern travel lane of Ali’i Drive right above the park’s entrance. All spots in these public parking areas are free.

Magic Sands can get very crowded on weekends and holidays, and at times finding parking can be a challenge. For those wanting to experience the beach at its off-hours, come early in the morning just after breakfast and easily find a parking spot and a vacant picnic table.

For accommodations, there is an ample amount of small private rentals near Magic Sands Beach to be found via Airbnb. There are even rentable condos above Magics Beach Grill, offering some of the best views of the beautiful white sand and easiest access to it. Other resorts and condos in the area are just a few miles away, including the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa, Castle Kona Bali Kai, Banyans Hawaii, and the Royal Kona Resort. 

Inhabiting one corner of Kahalu’u Bay, this Kona-side swimming and surfing spot is a stretch of mixed black and white sand beach with a coastline of smooth black lava rock that gives way to a shallow bay of crystal blue water. Offshore, a crescent-shaped wall of sunken boulders created centuries ago by ancient Hawaiians tempers the strength of incoming waves, which crash spectacularly against the manmade reef before coming into shore as little more than a gentle lapping on the beach. 

This underwater wall ensures that the bay is calm and clear on most days, creating an ideal environment for safe, leisurely swimming and for exploring the island’s astounding variety of marine life. Kahalu’u Bay is often ranked within the top five snorkeling spots on the island, as the expansive bay provides a seemingly endless supply of submerged rocky outcrops for resident crab, eels, octopus, sea horses, urchins – even green sea turtles. Milling around above the lively beds of coral are schools of brilliantly colored tropical fish, including butterflyfish, boxfish, parrotfish, unicornfish, zebrafish and much more.

The snorkeling grounds eventually give way to the primary surf break at the bay’s northern end. Surfers have been paddling out to this spot since ancient times, hoping to catch the medium-sized barrels forming as the waves roll over the reef, and ride them towards shore into the calmer waters of the bay. Here the sea is so clear that it is possible to see the multi-colored fields of coral that make up the reef while sitting on a surfboard and waiting for the next set to come in.

On days with ideal ocean conditions, a line of surfers can be spotted out at the break taking their turns catching the waves and trying their best to keep a solid footing. Being such a popular spot for beginners, the beach crowd will usually bear witness to a high number of wipeouts, where sometimes a single wave can be seen gobbling up multiple surfers at once with its jaws of thrashing white foam. Others manage to hold on the take the ride, cutting a wide and graceful arc along the bay with arms outstretched for better balance. A never-ending stream of surfers can be seen making their way into shore to rest, often helped along by the rolling waves, while fresh arrivals pass them paddling the other direction out to join the group.

Some of the larger waves crash here at the outer reef and then go on to reform again – much smaller this time – creating an intermittent secondary break closer to shore which is perfect for smaller children and first-timers. The first break can reach heights that can be challenging for beginners – sometimes up to six or eight feet – so on high surf days Kahalu’u is a popular destination due to these smaller nearshore breaks. These are often taken advantage of by school-age kids riding boogie boards and wearing fins, who furiously kick to build up speed as the waves approach and then takeoff on their sharp zig-zagging rides.

All of these boards – surfboards, boogie boards, stand-up paddle boards and more – can be rented from several different shops lining the bay off of Kona’s iconic seaside thoroughfare Ali’i Drive (pronounced “ah-lee-ee”). These include Kona Surf Town Adventures, which offers rentals, surfing and paddle boarding lessons and customized surf trips, as well as Kahalu’u Bay Surf and Sea found right across the street from the surf break in an orange house. This colorful, locally renown shop offers board rentals and lessons for all skill levels.

A Perfect Beach Day – Picnics, Barbeques and Wildlife Watching

Kahalu’u Beach Park is very well-outfitted in terms of amenities. It has a large covered pavilion full of picnic tables, multiple stands of outdoor showers, bathroom facilities and a prominent lifeguard tower. On most days, there are several pop-up concessionaires and food trucks operating in the parking lot serving up everything from hamburgers to smoothies to shave ice to ice cream.

Then there’s a grove of towering coconut palms located right up from the shoreline which provides much-needed shade on scorching days when the hot Kona-side sun makes the sand too hot to walk across. Picnickers and sunbathers find these shady patches and sprawl out on blankets and beach towels, watching the snorkelers make their rounds in the shallows just offshore. A concrete stand of barbeque pits sits across from the picnic table pavilion, with their well-charred metal grates. It’s easy to imagine the park at full capacity on a busy day, with every picnic table full of patrons and all five of the barbeques going at once, with the enticing smell of cooking meat wafting along the sidewalk.

And humans aren’t the only ones taking their meals at the beach park; green sea turtles can often be seen milling around the bay feeding on seaweed. They take breaks from their hunt to haul themselves onto the shore of warm lava rocks and catch some sun. And although it is tempting to get close to these fascinating creatures for a better look, keep in mind that the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is an endangered species under state and federal protection, with laws requiring observers to keep a ten foot minimum distance away. Snorkelers will often come upon them while exploring the shallows, and it is important to observe from a distance and not chase them.

The world-class snorkeling at Kahalu’u Beach Park is made possible by its healthy and abundant populations of coral. These are the building blocks of the reef ecosystem, without which the nearshore environment would be drab and lifeless. So, protecting the health of the coral is a great way to preserve the beauty of Kahalu’u Bay, and this means taking care not not to touch or walk on the coral while exploring or while entering and exiting the ocean. 

Another way to do your part in protecting the coral in Kahalu’u Bay is to use reef-safe sunscreen. Many of the predominant sunscreen brands available today are made with chemicals known to be toxic to the tiny jellyfish-like organisms that build the elaborate coral structures. Without these creatures, the coral suffers from what is known as “bleaching”, where the once-colorful underwater structures turn a ghostly white and all the resident sea life moves away. Thankfully, reef-safe sunscreens (utilizing Zinc oxide or Titanium oxide as their active ingredient) are available in dispensers at the beach park’s pavilion for those who didn’t bring their own.

How To Get There:

Kahalu’u Beach Park is located right off of Ali’i Drive, the several-mile-long main coastal thoroughfare running from main street Kona to the town of Keauhou. It’s in a grouping of other nearby beach parks and surfing spots including Pahoehoe Beach Park, Magic Sands Beach, Lymans Surf Spot and Makolea Beach. Roughly four miles south of Kona town along Ali’i Drive, drivers will spot the large crescent-shaped beach and clear, shallow waters of Kahalu’u Bay with a gaggle of surfers lined up at the break.

An easy to spot landmark assuring visitors that they’re in the right place is the board rental shop Kahalu’u Bay Surf and Sea, found on the left side of Ali’i Drive if heading south, with the easiest access for surfers found directly across the road from its orange house. This is at the northern end of the beach park, where a narrow sandy path meanders across the rocky shoreline leaving just enough room for surfers to walk into the water, plop down their boards, jump on and start the short paddle out to the break. 

Free parallel parking can be found on either side of Ali’i Drive, although on busy days finding a parking spot adjacent to the beach park can be tricky. Sometimes it’s necessary to park a few blocks away and walk down to the ocean. The pavilions, barbeque pits, restrooms, showers and shady coconut grove are all easily visible from the road, and on most days visitors will find at least a few white pop-up tents selling hot food, snacks and cold drinks.

For those wanting to spend more than just an afternoon in that area of south Ali’i Drive, there are several accommodation options near the bay including Big Island Retreat and Kahalu’u Beach Villas at Kahalu’u Beach, both located just a short walk away.

Important note about ocean safety at Kahalu’u Beach Park: According to some locals, Kahalu’u has the highest incidence of distressed swimmers in a given year than any other beach park on the entire island. And although there is a manned lifeguard station at Kahalu’u, beach-goers should not rely solely on outside help in order to stay safe while in the water. It is each individual’s responsibility to know their limits, observe ocean conditions before getting in, and watch out for rip tides and rogue waves. As the statewide Hawai’i ocean safety motto goes, “if in doubt, don’t go out.” 

Flanked on either side by walls of sea cliffs, the crescent-shaped beach of protected waters is like an oasis springing out of an otherwise rough and unforgiving terrain of sloping lavafields. Much of the South Kona coast is similarly wild and rocky, with few decent, easy-to-access beaches to speak of until reaching the bottom of Ali’i Drive. So Ho’okena is a diamond in the rough, immensely popular because of its isolation and frequented by everyone from fishermen to kayakers, sunbathers to boogie boarders, swimmers, hikers, snorkelers, campers and more.

Scattered rows of broad-leafed trees planted along the beachfront offer shade, and create a cool understory of flat, sandy ground which on any given day is crammed with a rainbow of tents and pop-up shelters. The sand is amazingly soft, piled up in pillowy drifts, and makes the idea of sleeping on the ground much more inviting. And nights at the beach park are often clear, as it sits in the rain shadow of Big Island’s two massive mountains – Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa – giving some campers the confidence to ditch the rainfly altogether. All of these ideal conditions, along with the fact that there are few easy alternatives for beach camping in the area, make Ho’okena one of the most popular destinations for spending a night outdoors on Big Island.

Those opting to stay under the stars here are usually lulled to sleep by the gentle, lapping waves of Kauhako Bay – a formidable notch carved out of Big Island’s western coastline, which has been used for centuries as a steamship harbor and an ideal spot to launch fishing canoes. Even today, visitors can see the traditional watercraft strewn along the beach belonging to fishermen who continue to ply the waters around the bay looking for suitable catch, just like their ancestors have done for centuries. 

The lucky beach-goer could even spot a launch in progress, or a crew returning with a hull overflowing with a bounty of fish. Then there are the more modern vessels – fiberglass kayaks available for rent from a well-outfitted concessionaire located at the near-end of the beach. There’s even camping and snorkeling gear for rent, basically ensuring that all visitors need to bring for a day and a night at the beach is their towel. This is an ideal resource for visitors who don’t want to lug bulky beach gear around in their suitcase, and can’t justify buying it new to use only for one weekend.

All that remains of the old dock at the center of the beach are a mound of rocks being lapped at by the lazy waves rolling in from beyond the cliffs. This makes for great snorkeling grounds, as a wide range of Hawaiian sea life has taken up residence in the nooks and crannies of the pier’s old foundation, and at high tide the typical group of bobbing, snorkel-clad heads can be spotted milling around the submerged stones, exploring coral labyrinths and their schools of colorful tropical fish. For West Hawaii visitors keen on embarking on the island’s “snorkeling tour”, Ho’okena makes a great tour stop as an add-on to a visit to Two Step, located just a few miles up the highway, which is arguably the best snorkeling ground on the island. 

One Of The Last Canoe Fishing Villages In Hawaii

Ho’okena Beach Park and its adjacent town were not always the sleepy beachside neighborhood that they are today. Native Hawaiians spent centuries launching their fishing canoes from the beach, taking advantage of its gently-sloping bottom of grey sand. It was one of the main coastal villages in the area, and remnants of the old days can still be found all over town. The fishermen would trade their catch for other needed crops grown by upland farmers, most importantly the starchy Polynesian staple taro, otherwise known as “kalo”, from which the dish poi is made. 

The village’s growth was accelerated in the late 19^th century when Ho’okena Beach became a primary landing for Hawaii’s inter-island steamship trade, seeing everything from passengers to livestock to foodstuffs to tools land on its shores on a weekly basis. Over time the town grew into a proper port – one of the busiest along the Kona Coast – with a wharf, a school, a jail, a horse stable, a courthouse and a network of roads.

Sadly, in the 1930s severe storms and high surf destroyed the pier, and many living in the village opted to move away from the unstable shoreline and reestablish their lives higher up the mountain and closer to the main road. Today, the beach park is run by local residents gathered together in an organization called Friends of Ho’okena Beach Park. The group manages the park as a micro-enterprise providing employment opportunities for the community and funds for conservation work so that the natural and cultural resources of Kauhako Bay can be protected for generations.

So campers, kayakers and snorkelers can feel good about where their fees are going, and Ho’okena Beach Park gets to be a beautiful, well-outfitted and clean one-of-a-kind destination for locals and visitors alike. Due to the park’s popularity, though, camping must be reserved at least three days in advance of arrival, and it is common during high season to see campsites fully booked for weeks at a time. Camping fees for adult beach-goers are roughly $20 per person for visitors, and significantly less – around $5 – for Hawaii state residents. According to Friends of Ho’okena Beach Park’s website, to receive the discounted resident rates, campers will have to show either a State of Hawaii Drivers License of State of Hawaii ID card.

Amenities at the beach park include a concession stand selling ice, food, cold drinks, ice cream and camping and beach supplies, as well as modern restroom and outdoor shower facilities, a large scattering of picnic tables, a covered pavilion and racks of equipment rentals. However, there is no lifeguard tower at the beach so swimmers must be vigilant about keeping an eye on ocean conditions and knowing when to not go out.

How To Get There:

Ho’okena Beach Park is located roughly 20 miles south of Kona Town, or 8 miles south of Captain Cook, along Highway 11, otherwise known as Hawaii Belt Road or Mamalahoa Highway. This stretch of highway is very windy and has a cliffside shoulder without guardrail in some places, so follow the speed limit and stay alert. The highway runs through downtown Captain Cook, and a few miles south of town passes by the locally renown Fujihara Store, which is the last stop for snacks and refreshments before Two Step and Ho’okena Beach Park.

Drivers will pass Ho’okena Elementary and Intermediate School on the right, and immediately after the school the road will fork. Turn right at the fork, following signs for Ho’okena, onto Ho’okena Beach Road. This road quickly turns into a switchback-heavy one-lane road that skirts down the bluff for two and a half miles. The ocean starts to appear in the distance as a thin blue line, but as drivers get farther down the road the ocean becomes more and more pronounced. Ambient air temperature creeps up a few degrees as the cool mountain slopes of Mauna Loa give way to the hot, thick wet air of sea level.

After one final hairpin turn at the bottom of the hill, the village of Ho’okena appears with its spattering of humble homes and a handful of vacation rentals. Keeping left at the bottom of the hill will bring visitors to the beach park’s main gravel parking lot, and the concession stands, gear rentals, showers, restrooms and campsites are all a short walk away.

In general, winter months bring the highest surf and strongest rip current to Big Island’s leeward beaches like Ho’okena. This is exacerbated by windy ocean conditions also more frequent in the winter, which is also tourism’s high season. While most days of the year see the typical conditions of gentle waves, gentle breeze and slight current at the beach, this is not always the case. So, it’s best to check conditions beforehand and schedule your beach trip for a safe day, and to always abide by the State of Hawaii’s ocean safety motto: “if in doubt, don’t go out.”

Very seldom, populations of stinging jellyfish known as Portuguese Man-o-War can wash up on the beach and linger in the waters offshore. Those concerned can check with the concessionaire or campground attendant about swimming conditions upon arrival, or simply observe whether other swimmers are out that day or not. Also, do not leave any valuables in your car while its in the parking lot as break-ins have happened in the past.

This is hands-down the best snorkeling spot on the island, dubbed by locals as simply “Two Step” after the two giant stairs found at the peninsula’s farthest point which lead its visitors down into the water. This is the easiest and safest spot to get in and out, and a supreme lack of other viable ocean access means that on busy days, a crowd of people can often be found milling around the shore. Some are waiting their turn to make the descent, while others are simply exploring the checkerboard landscape of pock-marked lava rocks with shallow tidal pools inhabiting the low points in between.

Sunbathers, tide pool explorers, fishermen and families with small children all sprawl across the rocky shore, hoping to spot the camouflaged shells of giant sea turtles who crawl up on the rocks to warm themselves in the sun, or the frenzied leaping of spinner dolphins, or the signature cloud of white sea spray marking a passing pod of humpback whales. On shore, there seems to be marine life around every corner, and beneath the surface snorkelers and scuba divers are absolutely surrounded by it.

Colorful, strange-looking fish with mesmerizing neon stripes dart in and out of the crevasses of massive colonies of reef-building coral, whose underwater structures come in mindbogglingly complex shapes: from fingers to brains, heads of cauliflower to grains of rice, mounds, lobes, antlers, cups. The seafloor is strewn with them; the building blocks of this underwater world, without which all the marine life darting about couldn’t survive. There are octopuses, sea horses, sea stars, urchins, eels and jellyfish scattered about, some clung tightly to the sides of coral domes, while others creep along the sea floor hunting for food.

And the variety of fish species is even more dizzying: Emperor fish, butterflyfish, boxfish, filefish, goatfish, parrotfish, needlefish, pufferfish, soldierfish, trumpetfish and countless more. Marine biologists and novice tropical fish enthusiasts alike have a field day exploring the reefs surrounding the bay, who within just a few minutes of strapping on the mark usually can chalk up a dozen or more species sighted. Schools of tiny bright orange fish engulf snorkelers and then immediately scatter with just one kick of their fin, while the shadow of a large blacktail snapper is projected against the white coral, causing small fish to flee every which way as it passes. All of this makes Two Step a fantastic opportunity to see Big Island’s vast, brilliantly colored underwater world which surrounds the island and serves as an integral part of its food-chain, and to learn a great deal about native Hawaiian fish.

The fish-watching at Two Step is so legendary that there’s usually a disorganized line of snorkelers completely decked out in face masks, fins and underwater cameras slowly filing toward the steps, patiently waiting their turn as their peers navigate down the slippery rocks and, when the critical moment comes, launch themselves off the platform into the water and start paddling. At the same time, snorkelers who made the leap half an hour ago queue up just offshore, hoping to catch one of the gentle, bobbing waves lazily making their way in and ride it back onto the platform.

Those entering the bay use the swelling waves in a similar way, often kneeling on the lower step until a large enough surge comes in, laps at the rocks, and then gently carries them away from shore and into the snorkeling grounds. Timing the waves like this to get in or out can be a little nerve-wracking at first, but thanks to the ever-present line at the steps, there’s plenty of opportunity to watch others’ technique before the critical moment comes. Many snorkelers making their way to the steps can be spotted wearing water shoes or “booties” – this is because spiky sea urchins sometimes like to make their homes within holes in the platforms, and nothing ruins a vacation faster than an urchin barb through the foot sole.

Endangered Turtles and Dolphins – Give Them Their Space!

Those sea turtles not actively sunning themselves on land can usually be seen gliding around the coral fields and underwater canyons of ropey lava rock, while dolphins are sometimes seen farther offshore in the deeper waters of Honaunau Bay. Both the Hawaiian green sea turtle and the Hawaiian spinner dolphin are endangered or protected species, and state law doles out stiff punishments for swimmers who chase, harass or even get uncomfortably close to them. So, observe them from afar, appreciate their natural beauty and tread lightly in their habitat, since human interaction can disrupt feeding and mating habits and negatively impact their population numbers.

Upon descending the steps and entering the bay, keeping to the left will give snorkelers the best chance of spotting turtles in action, as the water gets slightly deeper on this side – around 20 feet. This depth, along with the seafloor’s matrix of healthier-looking coral, makes for a more ideal habitat, and it’s this region of the bay where turtles are usually found lazily swimming around while their peers rest in the sun up on the rocky bank.

Most dolphins are usually hard to spot in open water during the day since they feed at night and rest during daylight hours. Their “resting” consists of shutting down parts of their brain and slowly cruising near the surface in protected waters, like those in Honaunau Bay, where they don’t need to be as alert for predators. This is why dolphins are often spotted here, and make for an incredible, one-in-a-lifetime experience for visitors. This is especially the case when spinner dolphins come in close to shore and begin their famous acrobatic displays where they leap out of the water and do front-flips.

Even as far away as 200 feet from shore, with water over 25 feet deep, there is still plenty of marine life, rainbow-colored fish and coral-packed seabed to explore. On the opposite side of the bay from the turtle grounds is a large underwater sandy area, and along its edge “aloha” is written with pieces of cement blocks in the sand – a landmark for snorkel-clad visitors that makes for a great underwater photo.

Amenities at Two Step are very limited – a small parking lot, a few picnic tables, portable toilets, and no concessions, drinking water or showers. Resourceful bay-goers will bring an extra jug of fresh water to rinse the salt off after a swimming or snorkeling session. Bring a picnic and set up on benches or beach towels along the rocky shore beside the gaggle of sunbathers, but just don’t come expecting to find much shade – most of the bay’s coast is featureless black lava rock, with just a small hedge of trees near the road.

This means that Two Step is one of the destinations on Big Island which absolutely requires some type of sun protection, from sunhats to light, loose-fitting shirts to sunscreen. Those opting for this last option should keep this in mind, though: Hawaii’s coral reefs are in a critical state of decline, caused partly by careless beach-goers who continue to use sunscreen made with reef-destroying chemicals. The chemical known as “oxybenzone” is the primary culprit, but several other common sunscreen ingredients can be harmful to coral health as well. So, opt for “reef-safe” sunscreen or products whose ingredients labels doesn’t include chemicals known to be reef toxic.

How To Get There:

Two Step is open daily from 7am to 9pm, with parking available a short walk away along Honaunau Beach Road just before the entrance to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, also known as “City of Refuge”. Two Step and its surrounding area comprises the right side of the bay, while City of Refuse makes up the left. It’s an intriguing national park created to honor an ancient Hawaiian historical site where criminals, defeated warriors and civilians fleeing persecution could seek refuge. It spans across 182 acres and features many traditional carved wooden statues, palm-frond roofed structures and the reconstruction of a Hawaiian temple known as a “heiau”.

Honaunau Beach Road is accessible from the direction of Kona Town and Captain Cook via Highway 11, otherwise known as Hawaii Belt Road or Mamalahoa Highway. Less than 10 miles south of Captain Cook, turn right onto Keala O Keawe Road and continue down the hill for another 3.5 miles until the left turn for Honaunau Beach Road appears on the left. Follow Honaunau Beach Road for several hundred feet until the entrance to the National Historical Park comes into view. Park beside the road just before the park’s entrance in one of several informal parallel and pull-in parking spots, and then walk down the one-lane side alleyway to the coastline where a group of snorkelers waiting to jump in can usually be spotted at the far edge.