Kāneʻohe Bay Reviews

Kaneohe Bay is on the windward side of the island, making the water and waves mostly calm. Great for paddle-boarding, kayaking, snorkeling and enjoying the sand & coral beach.

Some may not have heard of the lovely "K-Bay" Kaneohe Bay and its heavenly sandbar. Check with locals and read TA reviews and you'll discover its a fun and healthy place to visit on Oahu's windward side. If you're blessed to have a military ID you can become certified to operate a boat from the Marine Base marina. You can rent it for a a half-day and scoot out to the sandbar: to snorkel, walk on the fine sand, BBQ, paddle board or just hang out in the Hawaiian sun. We did. It's a highlight of our time on Oahu! You can also reach the sandbar from other sites around the bay. Aloha!

Unfortunately we only viewed the Bay from above; as our tour was passing by the area.
The water showed beautiful shades of blue /green, and the coastline was the iconic sandy and rocky composite of many a Hawaiian photo.
This is definitely a priority for an "up - close" return visit.

We rented a villa overlooking Kaneohe Bay. Really enjoyed the lush tropical vegetation and mountains, the calm and all the available local businesses. A great base of operations 25 minutes from Waikiki (if you are looking for high rises and activity) or to the quiet and traditional windward and North Shore views, the Byodo-In temple, the Polynesian center or Haleiwa’s waves. We really felt that we had lucked out!

Great place to stay, beautiful scenery. Safe and secure since it was located on a U.S. Marine Corp base.

This beach is an easy short drive from Waikiki and you'll have the beach almost to yourself. Water is much nicer than Waikiki also.

The bay can be fun and interesting, but best visited during low tide when the sand bar is uncovered. You will usually see honu (green sea turtles) and sometimes other sea life. It's also best on a day that is not too windy, and this being the Windward side of the island, it gets a lot of windy days.

Windward side of the island, beautiful views. Plan on some cleansing daily rain and humidity. Live like locals, enjoy the aloha life.

The key to enjoying Kanehoe Bay is being at the sandbar at knee deep low tide. It's like having the world's largest salt water swimming pool. High tide and you have just another stretch of sand 10 feet underwater. Get there by paddleboard, kayak or boat (We came on a Hobe Cat). Bring water food a hat and sunscreen and you'll have a hoot

A little confusing where to park, but the long sandy beach is lovely to walk, sunbathe and swim. Seemed very safe, too.

Kane'ohe Bay stretches from the Mokapu Peninsula, home of the U.S. Marine Corps, and is Mokoli'i Island or Chinamen’s Hat. The bay is the largest sheltered body of water in the Hawaiian Islands and is home to the largest saltwater sandbar in the world. It is known for fishing, kayaking and boating.

The Kane'ohe Bay is a great sight to simply take in from the Kualoa park, or you can boat over to the sand bar and spend a few hours relaxing in the water. It's one of the best sand bars on earth simply put, it's an excellent place to stop and spend a few hours. There are bathrooms, and picnic facilities at Kualoa.

This is a definite place to visit when you come to O'ahu, especially for those who love boating. Nothing but crystal blue waters and a beautiful backdrop of the island to enjoy while either on a boat, stand up paddle boarding, or kayaking ect. The sandbar I feel is what makes this place more special. There is a fun sandbar that people will go to gather for hanging out or kite surfing. Perfect place to go for holidays for both locals and tourists. Feel free to check out my photos on Instagra @brubunce

This part of Hawaii was one of the most beautiful in my opinion. We were on a fly fishing guided trip and stayed in the shallow/clear water areas for majority of the time. I saw 14 turtles and a baby tiger shark in the 8 hours we spent out there. Definitely check this area out if you get a chance!

Amazing place...so peaceful. This is where you can get away from the hustle of Waikiki and relax. Being on the windward side it is also a bit cooler than the semi-concrete jungle of Honolulu.

Photos can’t capture the experience of standing on a sandbar in the bay. A group of us rented double kayaks at Go Bananas in Honolulu and launched from Heeia Kea Pier. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the sandbar. For some, it was longer because their kayaks got stuck on some coral ☹. So, I suggest kayaking close to the pier until you’re in open water.

It was low tide by the time we arrived at the sandbar so the water was only up to mid-calf. We tied all of the kayaks together and someone always kept an eye on them so they didn’t float away. I was amazed how far we could walk on the sandbar. Because it’s so large, we had our own “private” area as did all of the other groups who were enjoying the sandbar.

I highly recommend a trip to the sandbar while you’re in O’Ahu. It’s such an amazing experience.

Here you will find some of the most stunning landscapes in Oahu, you can swim with turtles and hundreds of fish. It’s a must in Oahu.

The bay goes on forever! China hat is pretty interesting to see. It appears there are glass bottom boat tours that look interesting as well.

Bring your stuff and find a good place, could be rocky at times so bring some sandals. Some food available around this place, if you come during business hours, the beach is all for you, weekends could get packed.

After finding out that our original plan of taking a boat tour (captain bobs for 5 ppl $597, private charter $900) to Kanoehe Bay Sandbar was fully booked the week we were on vacation, we were happy to find out from locals that kayaking there was another option.($180 for 5 of us) We walked in, didn't online book and she explained the different options to us, and we were able to rent 2 double seat and one single kayak for our party of 5 including a child, we were given life jackets, a map, additional backseat for comfort, an anchor and we were on our way. It was about 30-40 min kayak to sandbar, faster coming back to shore but the staff and the experience were amazing, the views and water spectacular, not to mention budget friendly, thank you Tina and the guy (sorry I forgot your name) who gave us a briefing and got our kayaks good to go at shoreline before we set off. Thank you again, I would do it again and highly recommend this company!

We took a Hobie Cat tour out of He'eia State Park into Kane"ohe Bay. The sandbar was amazing. We also snorkeled two areas with abundant large sea turtles. The highlight of our trip. Simply beautiful and amazing!

We were on a tour and had some wonderful views. It is another phenomal place to visit on Oahu! Will definitely go back!

We rented a home for two weeks and stayed high above the bay looking down on it and the ocean. I would highly recommend visiting or even staying in the area. Close to so many attractions, great shopping close by, close to the beach and amazing to see sunrise from the beach at the bay. 20m from Honolulu and worth the trip.

This bay offers and experience for all. Kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding and most unique of all, the Sandbar! This unique feature is a must see and experience location. Boat to the sandbar in the middle of the Bay and have a BBQ, toss a Frisbee, fly a kite, jump off your beached boat to the Deep side and swim ashore! One of the most fun places in Hawaii to visit with friends and have a blast. Worth the trip.

We rented a couple of kayaks and trekked out here one afternoon. The weather wasn't perfect, which made the kayaking a little tough, but it was certainly still doable for anyone in decent shape. If you time the tides right, you are rewarded with a little sandbar island that you may even have all to yourself.

My brother told us about this place - would have never known to go. We booked with Captain Bob's Kaneohe - used website Veltra to make arrangements. We drove to the boat pier instead of having them pick us up. Plenty of parking there. Boat was half an hour late - no one there to ask about it. They got us loaded quickly. There are 2 boats. Drove out to the sandbar - shallow area about knee deep - amazing how you can just walk around in the middle of the ocean. Beautiful colors of blue in the water. Also went to area of sea turtles - beautiful to see them swimming. Then snorkeled in another area. Was good snorkeling. Great hidden gem not too well known by visitors!

Kaneohe Bay is just beautiful. The water is crystal clear and pretty warm on sunny days. The best part is the giant sandbar which is so much fun to be on when it's low tide. I have sat in the middle of the bay in a beach chair....A MUST DO in Hawaii.

Kane'ohe bay is the largest sheltered body of water in the main Hawaiian islands. Located on the south eastern shore of Oahu. Great place to snorkel, swim or just sight see.

Worth a visit! Absolutely beautiful - caution re swimming though as there are sharks at some times of the year

We kayaked in the bay and found many turtles. We also took a snorkeling/sand bar trip to enjoy what the bay had to offer. It is a very protected bay, and it was fun to be taken out to the 'beach' (sandbar) our in the middle of the bay.

We rented a boat from the base, and sailed out to the sandbar. What an amazing experience. We had our own island area, with a place to anchor the boat. It was great, we set up chairs, had places to dive into the water, and snorkel. I can't even describe how beautiful it was looking out at the mountains, and the beautiful scenery. Honestly if you have the opportunity, go hang out at the sandbar. Bring food and enjoy your day.

love this bay since several beaches surrounding it that you can find a spot by yourself and just sit and soak in the serenity. I have also been out in a boat snorkling here and beautiful sea turtles were swimming with us...such a treat!!

Kaneohe has something for everyone. Snorkeling,scuba, paddle boarding, boogie boarding, kayaking. If you don't like the beach you are at drive a mile and you can experience a totally different environment. I would recommend investing in good water shoes. Some of the beaches are rocky. The sand is also pretty hot at times. Most of the beaches we were on was almost vacant during the week.

Swim, snorkeling, kayak, wind surf, any water sport in this beautiful bay. We rented a pontoon boat for the family at USMCBase Kaneohe and had a wonderful day. Don’t forget the sun tan lotion.

What a view, amazing coloured water, the scenery behind and the chinamans hat, you need to see this and it's a fantastic place to stay too. Easy to travel around the island from here too.

This is Kaneohe Bay Sand Bar trip that we went out with the boat and crew from Paradise Bay Resort with about 15 other swimmers. It was 29 Aug 2018 at 15:00 (3 PM), I state this because of the tide flows. While we were there it was about waist deep and the crew of the boat said that some days you can walk it with out getting wet. We spent about 45 minutes there and some were playing water football. Keep in mind I saw no fish at all since there is no place to hide and nothing to eat. But over all the water was warm and clear with some great views.

The sandbar is currently 5 miles they expect to grow to 8 miles within the new few years. Boats can take you to the sandbar which is pretty far from the shore, the water is perhaps 4 feet tall and you are stepping on white sand...the water is light green and so so clean. Just make you eat before you go, the food aboard tends to be bad burgers and other "fast" food items...if you are lucky you might enjoy some local food near the pier prior to your departure.This one of the highlights of out trip.

We spent a week exploring Kane'ohe Bay and enjoyed every minute of it. we saw turtles while snorkeling. We saw loads of fish while snorkeling and we even learned some things visiting nearby state park. Kane'ohe is a wonderful place to explore.

This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth....away from the frenzy of Waikiki. If you visit Oahu, rent a car and make sure to drive around the island every chance you get and really get to enjoy the island. Waikiki beach is a crowded tourist area. Kaneohe is the Hawaii you flew across the ocean to get to.

My girlfriends and I rented kayaks and decided to do the 30 minute kayak ourselves to the sandbar. None of us had ever kayaked before and definitely not athletic but it was definitely doable. Sandbar is well worth a visit but other than chilling and snorkelling, there isn't much to do. It's a very nice place to take beautiful pictures.

We stopped here on the way to Ranch. It was raining so we didn't go for a swim. The beach was easy to access. The car park is short walking distance to beach. The park near beach is clean and has toilets for changing into swim gear. The beach was calm, clean and beautiful. Great family beach. Will be coming back to this beach for a swim

I've lived this side of the island all of my life and we get RAIN here. WIND too. It can be sunny in Waikiki (town) and raining hard here. S check weather reports before you venture out. If it HAS been raining a lot and then clears--the bay will be PACKED with other boats, especially holiday weekends. Everyone has a great time in the shallow waters and although alcohol was outlawed as well as rooster tail type speedboats they still run rampant out there on holidayze. so be smart, be careful, and have fun.

To see what the surf out on the reef there is up to, check the surfline reports for North and East shores and average it out. When North shore is HUGE (15+ feet) in winter months it wraps to this side so can get a lot more surf than usual out there on the reef beyond where all the boats park. Diving is great on sunny small surf days but not good on windy, high surf conditions where the water is stirred up. so check these things BEFORE getting out there. and if you go and the weather doesn't cooperate--have fun anyway! It's only water! Just be SAFE too.

*There are glass bottom boats out there now filled with tourists that go out on cloudy, wave-stirred-up water days where visibility is ZERO underwater. CHECK first before you waste money! These boats are cheap rentals that USED to be in town but avoid the boat fees here in Kaneohe at Heeia-kea boat harbor!!! Locals wish they would LEAVE and go back where they belong.

Must take a sandbar boat ride. We did ours through Paradise Bay Resort, they take you to a private reef and supply towels and snorkel gear. There is snacks and Mai ties well

The bay is just a great location. Oposite side of the island from Honolulu. It is a very big circular bay with a modest amount of activity. (Not overwhelming) We stay with locals who have a beautiful home on the hillside with a great view. Another firend has a bay side home with super access to the water.
You should always include a trip to Kaneohe to watch the bay and the activity.

Kaneohe Bay is a former caldera which has had its ocean barrier removed by erosion. One should first view it from above, by driving on H-3 from Honolulu (Moanalua Valley) to get a perspective of how large and beautiful it is, with the different shades of blue, dependimg upon the ocean bottom. Unfortunately, you can't stop to take a picture, but you can make a visual impression, There is a fish pond which has been restored; The Nature Conservancy removed invasive algae with a super sucker. The Univrersity of Hawai'i has a research station on Coconut Island. You can also stop at He'eia State Park to get up closer. We live in Kane'ohe, so we see it daily. CAUTION: there's lots of rain (average annual rainfall, 65-75 inches a year.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu, this is a laid back area where the views are spectacular and the activities are of the physical type. Kayak, layout, walk the area. Great place to see local living.

Sightsee or dip into the water. This relatively quiet part of Oahu is at the end of the Pali, H3 and Like Like Highways on the Windward side and is an essential part of visiting Oahu. Don't miss out, whatever the weather its beautiful.

Beautiful drivie or snorkle along Kaneohe Bay. Be environmentally conscious of this glorious place, please.

We stay in Kaneohe every time our family visits Hawaii. It is away from town and away from all the tourists. Kaneohe Bay has the nicest view. Kaneohe usually has a rain shower every day. It helps to cool off the area. I am not a meteorologist, but it is probably one of the coolest places on oahu. We like to go to restaurants where the locals go. Sometimes we take the kids to windward mall for a movie. There is also a yacht club in Kaneohe Bay.

On a clouded day it is quiet and uncrowded, probably busier on sunny days. Not far from Honolulu but worlds away.
Bring a picnic and relax here for a few hours.

This is a special part of Oahu - not too far from Honolulu but truly a world apart. There is a beautiful fish pond (LARGE) that can be explored and the water is beautiful. This part of Oahu reminds one of the outer islands with its natural beauty - but it can be accessed with a Lyft instead of an inter-island jet.

We took a boat to the sand bar! We anchored and just hung out--swimming, snorkeling, sunning. It was great fun and really relaxing. The view of the shore was beautiful, too. It was a sunny day and we all got burned a little (despite using sunscreen all day) so be careful.

We rented the boat from the marine base because we were with active military but there must be other boat rental options if you aren't visiting your relative in the army...

This is the start of our snorkeling adventure. The back drop is beautiful and they are really friendly kids will enjoy

We took the Paradise Bay Resort boat trip out onto the bay. We got the chance to snorkel on a reef that they told us only one other boat company is allowed to stop at and we visited the immense and incredible sand bar. I could take a sun chair and sit on that sand bar for hours. The trip was marvelous.

Really enjoyed this. Lots of coral. But weather can change and get windy so be prepared. Also airbase makes noise that I did not enjoy

Tucked away on the windward side of Oahu. A perfect place to snorkel, swim, relax on the beach, and observe fish and other sea life.

Take the Holokai catamaran trip to see the bay, sand bar, turtles, Coconut Island, etc. The bay is gorgeous.

We were privileged to be taken here by our Hawaiian friends in their own boat.this place is heaven on earth. We saw dozens of turtles and fish. We had brunch on the boat on the sandbar. What a magnificent view of the clear blue sea and the mountains.
We stopped to do some fishing and caught fish in minutes.
Luckily it was not very busy. The tide was in so the sandbar was not obvious except for the change in colour, but a magical place.

We chose Captain Bob's bbq snorkel because it sounded like a lot of fun. We were not staying in Waikiki, and were able to select to meet at the dock and not travel on the bus. We bought our tickets through Hawaiian Discount tours - they wrote on the paperwork that we did not need to take the voucher with us. I had printed a map on the back, so we happened to take it - very fortunate because we were told it was needed to board the boat.
The little pier the boat leaves from has a lovely little store with a cafe in it. They also have fresh coconuts and will chop the top off and provide a straw for you to drink! The lady running the store was really lovely.
The catamaran was great - fabulous steps for easy access in and out of the water. The sandbar was breathtaking! The photos don't show how spectacular it truly is. The water was waist deep the whole time, so there was no option to stay dry - it was the most beautiful day - the weather was fabulous. After some time here, we sailed to a reef and spent some time snorkelling there - really clear water, lots of beautiful fish - and even managed to see some turtles on our journey. Crew were brilliant - and the 'host' played his guitar and sang whilst we ate a yummy bbq lunch. Have already recommended it to friends! 😊

This side of the island is so much more beautiful and peaceful than the Honolulu/Waikiki side of the island. Come to this side of the island to enjoy real Hawaiian paradise.

Love Kane'ohe! It is quiet and low key away from Honolulu. Short drive from Waikiki area and local flavor is fun.

Loved our visit here. Beautiful scenery. We traveled over the whole island and enjoyed the sites immensely.

The water is greenish and clear. You can see huge turtles and lots of fishes. During low tide, there is about 5 to 8 miles of sand bar where you can walk on and play ball. Simply awesome. I stayed at Paradise Bay Resort which has a private boat that takes the guests out for a fee. Not sure if there are other boat hires that can take you there.

Hire a Kayak and some snorkeling gear from Holokai Kayak and Snorkel (pretty cheap). Make sure you get in early and go to the sand bar first before the high tide comes in. Then you can go kayaking around the bay for half a day and stop at some smaller sand bars for Snorkeling, even sitting in the water on the bar feels good, check tide times and plan the day perfect, (we just missed the main attraction) nonetheless a great day in paradise.

Nice quiet park... several families were setting up tents for the weekend. has Gorgeous views..... also restrooms and camping available... Easy to get to

Fun Day with the staff and had a great adventure out there in the clear water. Paradise Bay Resort is awesome.

As active duty, I rented a cabana at the Marine Corps Base, Kane'ohe Bay, to stay away from the crowds of Waikiki Beach. K-bay is a delight and so peaceful. I met up with a Marine friend, and we too rented a boat to sail out to the sandbar for fun in the sun and water. If I ever return to Oahu, I'll stay on this side of the island because if the peace factor. And the mountains . . . gorgeous!!!

We loved this part of Oahu, and will be the first place we visit when we go back. Water and plush rainforest looking mountains.

OK. I've been to Honolulu at least 10x and I've never heard of the Sandbar until 1 year ago on the plane, on my way to Maui. It's been on my list of things to do in Oahu so now I finally experienced this magical place. It's a beautiful stretch of white sand in the middle of the ocean. So amazing to be able to walk on the sandbar during low tide when the water is only 2-3" deep. Make sure you check the tide forecast before you go. We went the 1st week of April and 8am was the time to go for low tide. We spent about 1.5 hours at the sandbar and another hour snorkeling nearby. Great coral reef in the area. Total 4 hour excursion.

If you read all the reviews, there's only a few ways to get here:

1) Kayak
2) SUP
3) licensed charter
4) swim

We're a family of 4 (2 young kids) and originally we decided to rent 2 tandem kayaks and row our way to the sandbar (30 minutes). We would rent from Holokai Kayak and Snorkel, $70 for each tandem and additional $5 for an anchor. The thought of kayaking seemed easy since my husband and I are both is really good shape. This was way cheaper than paying almost $500 for Captain Bob's sandbar excursion that included a 4 hour trip to and from the sandbar + bbq lunch and other snorkeling equipment. Luckily for us, we found a last minute deal on groupon for Kapu Kai Charters for a total of $220 for the family. Since we were traveling with another family of 3, our Total ended up being $400! (pay Amber direct so she gets the money) Yes, still more $$ than renting kayaks but we are SOOOO GLAD we paid for the charter. It was easy coordinating with Amber and she brought an ice chest and some snorkeling equipment for all of us. As you approach the sandbar, you see a large stretch of white sand in the middle of the ocean. It was so dreamy and beautiful. Surprisingly not crowded. Felt like we had the entire stretch to ourselves. We brought our own floats and beach chairs and took amazing pictures. After 1.5 hours, Amber took us to a nearby spot maybe 10 minutes away to see some sea turtles and snorkel. We were supposed to stop by Gilligan's island but I got really seasick after snorkeling so unfortunately we had to head back to shore. (This was the main reason why I'm so glad we didn't kayak. I would've been too sick to kayak my way back LOL)

OVerall, I really recommend going to the sandbar. Everyone should experience it at last once in their lifetime.
*Bring a light jacket, food/snacks, sunscreen, hats, water*

We took a boat out to the sand bar in Kaneohe Bay early in the morning (8am) and by noon, the sun was out, there was no one else out there and it felt like we were on a private island. The background of the Ko'olau mountains makes pictures taking awesome. It was a little windy the day we went but there are no waves and the water is warm. Bring a couple of beach chairs, pack a lunch and enjoy!

I drove from Hanauma Bay up the windward side of the island of Oahu passing Makapu'u Point and continued on the Kamehameha Hwy up and around to the North Shore. Many beautiful points along the way including when passing by Kane'ohe Bay. I found a nice viewpoint near Kahaluu Beach providing terrific views of the bay and of the Ko'olau Mountains across the bay which form the backdrop at Kualoa Regional Park.

Most beautiful waters on Oahu. Kane'ohe offers a bit more solitude than you will find over on Waikiki. The Mountain ranges offer very dramatic backdrops

very beautiful setting but all the beachs seem very nice & amazing cant say enough water very clear & wonderful

We spent an entire day drinking, and lazing on the sand bar out in Kaneohe bay and I would recommend anyone with the availability to do so to drop what they are doing and go check it out.

Our mid ocean picnic and drinks were only interrupted by the green sea turtles that swam between us as we stood in the middle of the ocean in knee deep water.

The best snorkeling place in Oahu! There are no waves and it is the warmest water in Hawaii. If you like the Caribbean style ocean this is the Hawaiian spot for you.

As someone who sees this beautiful bay every day (I live in Kaneohe, right on the shore of Kaneohe Bay) I can tell you that I never get tired of seeing this magnificent place. It's also a fantastic place to go swimming, kayaking, water skiing, and even "touch and go" aviation in a seaplane (which I see taking place from time to time). There are lots of places to go on its shores, and I understand the coral formations underwater are a Mecca for SCUBA divers. And the best part of all this: IT'S FREE!

We pontooned out from the marina to a fantastic sandbar about a mile off the shore. The view of surrounding mountains and water was a sight to behold. Many boats joined us because it was a perfect day and people set up lawn chairs and volleyball nets in the water, which was about 6-inches deep. Hammerhead sharks, turtles and sea snakes swam around, harmless I guess. It was a perfect view of Hawaii.

Enjoyed sailing across this beautiful bay with Aqua waters as part of our Holokai snorkelling tour in June 2017. Travelled on a sailboat across and enjoyed the view of the bay along with the mountains surrounding it and the islands located on the bay.

We had no idea where to stay when visiting. After being here we learned the west and east sides are the best for climate. The north shore is for surfing and has more wind. Kaneohe has a lot of cloud cover and rains daily. You don't have the beautiful sunrises and can't see the sunsets. If you've ever experienced "June gloom" in California that's what it's like on this part of the island. It's also less maintained by the state. Lots of abandoned cars with people living in them, and run down areas. Also, pit bull dogs seem to be super popular in this area. This isn't an area to vacation with your kiddos!!

Beautiful bay with lots of reef/coral and the famous sandbar. Lots of fish and marine life. Worth a visit!

While a bit windy and chilly, we adored our experience kayaking and snorkeling in Kane'ohe Bay. Such beauty to skim across the top of sandbars and coral reefs. Definitely worth renting a kayak with Holokai Kayaks, at He'eia State Park.

This beach would have been beautiful if there had not been so many people and if it had not been so windy. We went there to swim but the wind was so fierce that we opted out.
The bathroom facilities were not kept up...broken door locks and clogged toilet.
Would not go out of my way to go there!

The Sand Bar! Spent many days on the sandbar with friends and family. Bring your boats, sailboats, pontoons, snorkel and ski gear, and food.

We love it. Can’t get away with the beautiful view. The ocean view surrounding with the greenery. It rained off and on but all enjoyed it. All and my children experienced the the true tropical weather. We will go back again

Kaneohe is truly one of the most beautiful spots on Oahu. The bay is breathtaking and has so many shades of blue! We didn’t get an opportunity to go to the Kaneohe sand bar; but it is at the top of my list for when we return. The bay is very large and there is a lot to do; snorkeling, kayaking, diving. I can’t wait to return.

This is a bay protected by a sandbar that you can rent equipment to paddleboard, snorkel, and kayak. For a spot to do all of those, it's great.

However, the only spot to take off from was a muddy, overgrown little area of land which made it hard to relax if you're taking turns on the equipment. The sandbar wasn't all that spectacular, but when we went it was 10 feet underwater.

My boyfriend & I rented kayaks from our amazing hotel (paradise bay resort) which is right off of Kaneohe Bay and it was so beautiful out there! The sand bars were super awesome at low tide because you could literally get out of your kayak and feel like you’re standing in the middle of the ocean. We saw lots of sea turtles and other fish too so it probably would’ve been a good spot to go snorkeling as well. Highly recommend for anyone that wants to cruise around in a chill bay with no waves!

This is a nice, quiet bay to kayak or stand up paddleboard. Views of the mountains are spectacular. The water is very shallow.

We were lucky enough to be invited on a pontoon boat one morning. Our destination was the very large sand bar. Fun!

If you are military affiliated you can get a boat license through MCBH marina then rent boats. Or you can do local boat tours. Great way to spend half a day out on the sandbar.

Our private tour guide brought us to this area and told us some detailed info about Kane'ohe Bay and this area. Kaneohe Bay, a 7,500-acre inlet, is the largest sheltered body of water in the main Hawaiian Islands, and the only bay in Hawaii with a barrier reef. Five tiny islands are anchored in the bay. The two largest are Chinaman’s Hat and Coconut Island. Coconut Island is owned by the State of Hawaii and is home to a University of Hawaii research center. But it is perhaps better known for its role in the long-standing television series, “Gilligan’s Island.” The best stretch of sand in Kaneohe Bay is out on the middle of the sea. That’s where the sandbar, or “Sunken Island” emerges during low tide, and its sugary white sands are like a floating cay that was made especially for you. Kaneohe Bay is on the island’s eastern shore about 30 minutes from Waikiki. Morning hours offer calmest conditions for paddling, swimming, and boating.