Laniakea Beach
Haleiwa, HI
Everyone on the North Shore just calls it Turtle Beach, and for good reason. Green sea turtles haul out on the sand here almost daily to rest, drawing a steady line of cars pulled over along Kamehameha Highway. The swimming itself takes a back seat to the turtle watching, though the water stays calm enough on smaller days.
Seeing wild sea turtles up close never gets old, but it's become one of the most crowded, traffic snarled pull offs on the whole North Shore.
How we score beachesStay the required distance back from any turtle on the sand. Volunteers in vests are usually posted here to remind people, and the fines for getting too close are real.
A small lot sits across the highway from the beach, and it fills fast. Overflow parking lines the highway shoulder, so cross carefully.
A crosswalk connects the lot to a short, flat sandy path onto the beach.
Turtles show up year round, though winter's bigger surf can push them, and swimmers, further down the beach.
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