Kohanaiki Beach Park (Pine Trees)
Kailua-Kona, HI
Kohanaiki Beach Park, known to every surfer on this coast simply as Pine Trees, sits on land the county bought specifically to keep it public after years of development pressure. A handful of reef breaks peel along the rocky shoreline, and the campground behind the beach fills most weekends with local families who treat the whole place like a second backyard.
A genuine local surf institution that the county fought to keep public, though the reef breaks and established lineup aren't especially welcoming to outsiders.
How we score beachesWatch from the point before paddling out if you're not a regular. The lineup here is well established, and cutting in without reading the crowd first won't go over well.
A paved county lot serves the park off Kaiminani Drive and generally has room outside of surf contests and weekend camping.
A flat, paved path leads from the lot to the shoreline, though the rocky beach itself isn't set up for an easy ocean entry.
Like most Hawaii County parks, Kohanaiki permits dogs on a leash.
Summer brings smaller, more manageable surf for newer surfers, while winter swells pick up size and draw the more experienced local crowd.
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