Can you boogie board at the Aulani lagoon?

[DLgal]

Are there small waves or is the water super calm like at Castaway Cay?

 

[ozliz]

Much too flat to catch a wave but very relaxing just floating on one of the boards you can borrow (free but they mark down your room number).

 

[Belle_Ann]

It was so calm my kids (13 & 9) didn't even really want to swim there because they wanted some wave action! We found other beaches to boogie board.

 

[DLgal]

It was so calm my kids (13 & 9) didn't even really want to swim there because they wanted some wave action! We found other beaches to boogie board.

Where did you go?

 

[Belle_Ann]

For a beach nearby, we went to White Plains beach about 20 min from Aulani. It's apparently managed by the military but it's open to the public. There's plenty of parking, bathrooms and a lifeguard. There were a lot of surfers there so the waves are pretty strong but not too big. It wouldnt be so good for very little kids or those that aren't good swimmers. They don't have rentals so you'd need to bring your own boards.

We also went to Kailua beach on the east side of the island and it was beautiful!

Waikiki was also great for body surfing and boogie boarding.

 

[ngl]

It really depends on weather, time of year, etc. but our kids loved it there at ages 7 & 5. We live in FL on the Gulf side so no action here, Atlantic side as a bit more, and would say Castaway Cay was in between Gulf waves and Atlantic waves and thought Aulani Lagoon area was MUCH better. In fact one day they came around and everyone had to return all the boogie boards, kayaks, etc bc the waves were so rough for a few hours!

 

[hilarys]

Where did you go?

A second vote for Kailua Beach. Gorgeous, easy to get to over on the beautiful east side. There is wave action, but it still feels very gentle. We spent a couple of hours bobbing in the waves floating on our boogie boards (bought cheap ones at ABC store and then passed them on on our last day). Our local friends went to the more northern end of Kailua Beach (they referred to it as Kalama Beach Park) for boogie boarding one afternoon -still very gentle but slightly better for boogie boarding than Kailua.

 

[DLgal]

A second vote for Kailua Beach. Gorgeous, easy to get to over on the beautiful east side. There is wave action, but it still feels very gentle. We spent a couple of hours bobbing in the waves floating on our boogie boards (bought cheap ones at ABC store and then passed them on on our last day). Our local friends went to the more northern end of Kailua Beach (they referred to it as Kalama Beach Park) for boogie boarding one afternoon -still very gentle but slightly better for boogie boarding than Kailua.

What time of year was this? We will probably go in the winter and I have read that the surf is dangerous at that time over on that side of the island. Ripcurrents, high waves, etc...

 

[PattiPB]

Did you take the boogie boards from Aulani when you toured the island? If not, could you rent boogie boards at any of the beaches?

 

[hilarys]

What time of year was this? We will probably go in the winter and I have read that the surf is dangerous at that time over on that side of the island. Ripcurrents, high waves, etc...

This was the first week of April. We have also been to Kailua beach Thanksgiving week. Maybe one of the locals can chime in, but I think the beaches in the Kailua area are generally pretty calm unless there is a particular swell/weather condition. The north shore is definitely where you want to watch out in the winter, although even up on the north shore there are a couple of beaches protected by breaks or coves (Turtle Bay Resort beach being one of them).

 

[hilarys]

Did you take the boogie boards from Aulani when you toured the island? If not, could you rent boogie boards at any of the beaches?

No - we bought really cheap ones at the ABC store across the street - worked just fine for us as we mostly used them for floating around. The only beaches where I have seen rentals near the beach are the beaches right by the hotels, these were way cheaper than that. On our last day I took them down to the pool and found a family that had their welcome leis on asked if they wanted them.