If you want to ride Oahu’s waves without the crowds that flock to these north shore surf spots, head to Yokohama Bay in the northernmost lee of Oahu. Also known as Keawaula Beach or Puau Beach, Yokohama Bay is a hidden Hawaiian delight for surfers, sunbathers, and nature lovers located near Kaena Point on the Waianaie Coast at the end of Farrington Highway. The bay offers a crescent shaped bay of white sand against a backdrop of jagged pali cliffs. Characterized by breezy trade winds and hot, sunny days, Yokohama Bay is truly a beach paradise that hasn’t been marred by development.
The bay offers clear waters ideal for snorkeling, scuba diving, shore fishing, picnicking, shell collecting, swimming, and sunbathing. To enjoy Yokohama in this way, it is best to visit Yokohama Bay during the summer months, when the ocean is calm.
In winter, the surf rises up to 20 feet. Surfers and body boarders take to the waves here. Big waves, strong currents, and strong shoreline breaks make up Yokohama Bay. Surfers also have to deal with the wind here, which can sometimes blow erratically and unpredictably. Some days, the wind will blow offshore, while some days, the wind will blow onshore for half an hour, then switch to land for another fraction of an hour, and then be offshore again.
During the high swell months, non-professional surfers should stay on shore and watch the thrill of the swell and surfers tackling Yokohama’s waves — the high winter waves are extremely dangerous.
Services and amenities: lifeguards and restrooms at park entrance, no bus service, no facilities
Unique things:
- The bay is the last beach on Farrington Highway.
- It is also the last stretch of sandy shoreline on the Leeward Coast.
- It is part of Kaena Point State Park,
- The bay is also known as Keawaula Beach or Puau Beach, but the Westside locals who frequent the beach the most prefer to call it Yokohama Bay, after the name of the city (Yokohama, Japan) where Japanese immigrants lived and fished. on the coast cam.
- It is close to Kaena Point, which is the “leap” of souls to the spirit world according to legend.