Ala Moana Beach Park: the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Waikiki and Diamond Head Crater frame the Ala Moana Beach Park shoreline as the sunset draws near in Honolulu, HI, Friday, May 15, 2020. (Ronen Zilberman photo HonoluluVibes.com)

Ala Moana Beach Park is Honolulu’s version of a mainland beach boardwalk with its sidewalk promenade that borders the length of the shoreline. You’ll find people on foot running and walking or zooming along the beach on wheels of every kind. Those lucky enough to find a parking spot along the oceanside edge of the beach promenade often set up shade tents and chairs, enjoying the easy access to their vehicle and the beach at the same time. It also provides some easy shade on a beach that only offers an occasional palm tree as relief from the sun.

The convenience, abundance of facilities (showers, bathrooms, food stands), and gentle ocean make this the most popular beach in Honolulu as it’s accessible to all ages and abilities from babies to the elderly. The sea here is like a giant saltwater swimming pool as an outer lying reef protects the bay from breaking waves. The placid water makes it a hot spot for swimmers and SUP paddlers who make laps back and forth from one end of the beach to the other. Additionally, the beach is dotted with lifeguard stations giving it points for water safety. Outside the reef, you’ll see surfers riding the breaking waves beyond, sailboats, dinner cruise ships heading out for sunset tours, and barges heading in and out of Honolulu’s busy commercial port.

A surfer contemplates the waves at Point Panic near the Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu, HI. Legendary Waikiki landmark Diamond Head Crater rests in the distance. (Ronen Zilberman photo HonoluluVibes.com)

The Ala Moana Beach itself is mostly sand, but there are some sections with coral big enough to make sensitive feet uncomfortable. Remember, this is a city beach that gets plenty of usage. Although it’s cleaned regularly, you can find random trash here and there as well as homeless beach dwellers that tend to take refuge around bathrooms, showers, and shady trees on the grassy picnic side of the park. That also means you don’t want to bring anything valuable along and leave in the car. I’ve seen live-action police chase dramas unfold in front of me as HPD officers tried to take out carjackers in the process of trying to steal a car. When confronted by police, the thieves dove into the canal and raced across the park on foot, trying to avoid capture.

On weekends the surrounding grassed in park grounds are a mecca for keiki birthday parties, family gatherings, and community events, especially on the Magic Island section, at the Diamond Head end of the park. This is a scenic peninsula that separates the beach park bay from the adjacent small boat harbor. It hosts a small enclosed beach at the tip and extended break wall where fishermen love to cast off their lines. Magic Island is a great place to watch sailboats and outrigger canoes cruising in and out of the channel. It’s also a favorite spot for wedding photos, with Diamond Head or the setting sun in the background that makes flocks of wedding couples more common here than pigeons in the park.

Beachgoers at Ala Moana Beach Park. Photo by Ronen Zilberman

Finish an action-packed day at the beach by heading across the street to the Ala Moana Shopping Center to eat and hit the stores in this world-renown open-air mall. From fancy dining to cafeteria-style eats, there’s something for every taste.

Beachgoers catching some shade in Ala Moana Beach Park with Waikiki and Diamond Head in the background.

by Honolulu Vibes