Hamoa Beach
Hana, HI
Hamoa Beach curves below a green hillside south of Hana town, a salt and pepper sand beach that James Michener once called the best in the South Pacific despite sitting firmly in the North. Locals still treat it as the area's best swimming beach, with a gentle, sandy bottomed shorebreak that's forgiving even when the surf picks up elsewhere on this coast.
The best all around swimming beach on this side of the island by a wide margin, with the only real drawback being how far the drive to Hana is for anyone not already staying nearby.
How we score beachesArrive by mid morning if a beach chair or a spot under the trees at the north end matters. Hana's small size means even modest crowds fill the sand faster than the drive time here would suggest.
A free public lot sits above the beach off Haneoo Road, generally adequate though it can fill on the busiest tour van days.
A paved path with stairs connects the lot to the sand, a short, manageable walk for most visitors, though the stairs rule out wheelchairs.
Summer brings the calmest, most swimmable water, while winter can add a livelier shorebreak that's still generally more forgiving than Koki or Red Sand Beach nearby.
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