Yokohama Bay – Secluded Beach on Oahu, Hawaii
If you want to ride the waves of Oahu without the crowd that flocks such North Shore surf spots, head to Yokohama Bay in the northernmost part of leeward Oahu. Also referred to as Keawaula Beach or Puau Beach, Yokohama Bay is a hidden Hawaiian treat for surfers, beachgoers, and nature lovers located near Kaena Point in Waianaie Coast at the end of Farrington Highway. The bay offers white-sanded, crescent-shaped bay against a backdrop of jagged pali cliffs. Characterized by trade wind breezes and hot, sunny days, Yokohama Bay is truly one beach paradise left unspoiled by development.
The bay offers clear clue waters ideal for snorkeling, diving, shore fishing, picnicking, shell collecting, swimming, and sunbathing. To enjoy Yokohama in those manners it is best to visit Yokohama Bay during summer months when the ocean is calm.
In winter, the surf goes up as high as 20-feet. Surfers and body boarders take the waves here. High surfs, strong currents, and strong shore breaks become Yokohama Bay. Surfers also have to deal with the wind here— which can blow erratically and unpredictably at times. Some days, the wind will blow offshore, while some days, the wind will blow onshore for half an hour, then change onshore for another fraction of an hour, then reverse to offshore again.
During high surf months, non-pro surfers should just stay on the shore and watch the excitement of the surf and the surfers tackling the waves of Yokohama— high winter swells are extremely dangerous.
Services and amenities: lifeguards and restrooms at the park entrance, no bus service, no facilities
Unique Things:
- The bay is the last beach down Farrington Highway.
- It is also the last stretch of sandy shore on Leeward Coast.
- It is part of the Kaena Point State Park,
- The bay is also known as Keawaula Beach or Puau Beach, but the west side locals who most frequent the beach prefer to call it Yokohama Bay— after the name of the city (Yokohama, Japan) where the Japanese immigrant who lived and fished in the shoreline came from.
- It is near Kaena Point, which is the “jump off” of souls to the spiritual world according to legend.