Ho'okena State Beach Park

Hookena Beach Park is one of the black sand beaches off Hwy 11. This soft black sand beach is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. Hookena Beach Park is a popular family picnic area. This park has a lot of facilities including restrooms, water, picnic tables, showers, BBQs, shade, and you can camp here. Anyone entering the water should be aware of the steep descent of the shoreline. Strong currents can be found far from shore. There are basically two different snorkeling spots at this beach. Straight out in the middle of the bay are some nice coral heads and lots of fish. The visibility here was not as good as the next spot. The second area is on the far left hand side of the beach. Just after the rocks start there is a little spur of rocks that juts out into the water. In front of this rocky area and to the left jet out some stunningly beautiful little reefs in very clear water. It is not a big area, but the colors of the corals are some of the best on the island. Directions to Ho'okena Beach Park from Kailua Kona Drive south on Hwy 11 (Hawaii Belt Rd/Kuakini Hwy) out of Kailua-Kona about 20 miles until you pass the 102 mile marker. Before you get to the 101 mile marker, there is Ho'okena Beach Road on the right; turn here. It is a windy road that takes you about 2 miles to reach the beach. Towards the end of the road, you should take a left down a narrow one lane road that leads to a large parking area. If you go straight, there is a small parking area and a pavillion with picnic table.