Wawaloli Beach Park occupies a unique location within the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) complex at the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park, situated just seven miles from downtown Kailua-Kona and directly adjacent to the Kona International Airport runway where planes roar overhead during landings and takeoffs. This unusual beach park operates under NELHA management rather than county control, providing public beach access within an active research facility dedicated to ocean thermal energy conversion, marine aquaculture, and other ocean-based technologies. Unlike traditional sandy beaches, Wawaloli features a natural pahoehoe lava shelf that creates a series of shallow tide pools and a small sandy shoreline area, offering families with young children an ideal protected swimming environment free from waves and strong currents that characterize many Big Island beaches. The park's proximity to the airport makes it perfect for quick beach visits by travelers with layovers or those arriving early for flights, while the tide pool configuration attracts local families seeking safe water play for keiki during hot Kona afternoons. The combination of easy accessibility with parking just feet from the water, well-maintained facilities including restrooms and picnic areas, and the fascinating juxtaposition of cutting-edge ocean technology research occurring alongside traditional beach recreation creates a beach experience unlike any other on the Big Island where science, aviation, and Hawaiian coastal culture converge in one compact shoreline park.
Swimming at Wawaloli Beach centers on the protected tide pools created by the extensive pahoehoe lava shelf that extends from shore and blocks direct ocean swell, creating calm shallow pools perfect for children learning to swim and families wanting stress-free water play. The main tide pool offers sand-lined bottom areas deep enough for adults to cool off while remaining protected from open ocean hazards, maintaining consistent calm conditions even when nearby unprotected coastline shows whitecaps and dangerous surf. However, visitors must exercise caution near areas where the sandy bottom drops off quickly beyond the lava shelf protection, as strong offshore currents have caught inexperienced swimmers unaware and pulled them into deep water beyond the safe tide pool boundaries. Unless you are a strong and experienced ocean swimmer, staying within the clearly defined tide pool areas is essential for safety. The lava shelf and surrounding tide pools provide excellent exploration opportunities for families interested in marine life observation, with small fish, crabs, sea urchins, and other tide pool creatures thriving in the protected pockets. The clear shallow water allows easy viewing of the volcanic rock substrate and the various organisms adapted to this intertidal zone environment. No lifeguards patrol Wawaloli Beach, requiring parents to supervise children constantly despite the generally safe tide pool conditions. The beach attracts relatively light crowds compared to more famous Kona beaches, partly due to its location within an industrial research facility and partly because many tourists seek traditional sandy beaches rather than lava rock tide pool environments.
Access to Wawaloli Beach Park requires driving south from Kailua-Kona on Highway 19 past the Kona International Airport, then turning onto the road leading to NELHA and following signs to the beach park. No admission or parking fees are charged, with parking available just feet from the beach in a small lot that rarely fills to capacity given the park's relatively low visitation compared to nearby Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area. The extremely close parking makes Wawaloli particularly accessible for visitors with mobility issues, families with small children and beach gear, and elderly beachgoers who cannot walk long distances from parking to shoreline. Facilities include clean restrooms, outdoor showers for rinsing off salt water, multiple picnic tables under shaded pavilions, and barbecue grills for family cookouts. The well-maintained park provides a comfortable setting for extended beach visits with amenities supporting full-day recreation including food preparation areas. The unique location at the end of the airport runway adds an unexpected entertainment element as commercial jets and small aircraft fly low overhead during landings and takeoffs, creating photo opportunities and excitement particularly appealing to aviation enthusiasts and children fascinated by airplanes. Visitors should bring reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes for navigating lava rock surfaces, beach toys for tide pool exploration, drinking water, and picnic supplies if planning to use the barbecue facilities for cooking. The park operates during daylight hours with no specific gate closure times, allowing flexible visit schedules.
Dining options near Wawaloli Beach are plentiful given the proximity to Kailua-Kona approximately seven miles north, where Huggo's serves upscale oceanfront cuisine including fresh island fish, steaks, shrimp, pasta, salads, and sashimi with spectacular sunset views directly over Kailua Bay. Foster's Kitchen in Waikoloa offers casual dining with flatbread pizzas, burgers, salads, tacos, and seafood dishes in a family-friendly atmosphere. L and L Hawaiian Barbecue near Honokohau Harbor provides affordable island comfort food including loco moco, kalua pork, chicken katsu, saimin, and plate lunches popular with locals and budget-conscious travelers. Killer Tacos serves fresh Mexican cuisine with fish tacos, burritos, and fajitas using local ingredients. For those preferring to picnic at the beach, the Costco and Safeway grocery stores in Kailua-Kona provide food shopping convenient to the beach route. The cultural and scientific significance of Wawaloli Beach extends beyond typical beach recreation - the NELHA facility represents Hawaii's commitment to ocean-based renewable energy research and sustainable aquaculture development, with the beach park demonstrating how public recreational access can coexist with industrial research facilities when properly managed. The Hawaiian name Wawaloli refers to the water or liquid of Loli, though specific cultural meanings have been obscured by time and displacement of traditional Hawaiian communities from this coastline during plantation and development eras. The juxtaposition of traditional Hawaiian tide pool fishing practices with modern ocean thermal energy conversion technology occurring just yards away illustrates Hawaii's ongoing negotiation between cultural heritage preservation and technological innovation, making Wawaloli Beach a unique location where multiple relationships with the ocean - recreational, cultural, and scientific - occupy the same coastal space.
