Ninole Cove
Pahala, HI
Ninole Cove sits just south of Punaluu, a small black sand pocket beach beside the grounds of a long shuttered golf course, quiet enough that most visitors driving to the famous turtle beach up the road never realize it's here. Waves reach further into this cove than at Punaluu, so it reads more as a place to walk the tide pools than to swim.
A genuinely quiet alternative to the crowds a mile up the road at Punaluu, though the exposed waves make it a walk and look spot more than a swim.
How we score beachesPair it with Punaluu rather than visiting alone. It's a five minute detour off the same road, and the contrast between the two beaches is worth seeing back to back.
Limited roadside and lot parking near the old Sea Mountain grounds serves the cove, rarely crowded given how few visitors know to stop.
A short, uneven walk over black sand and rock connects the parking area to the cove, not a long distance but not a smooth one either.
Wave exposure picks up in winter, when the cove can feel considerably rougher than its more sheltered neighbor at Punaluu.
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