Laniakea Beach Reviews

Beach was great, we got to see and take pictures of couple of sea turtles. Took about 10 minutes and came back to the rental car to find out that the car was broken into! Purses and wallets with IDs were taken. A nightmare to get on a plane without IDs. Thieves seems to prey on these beaches away from Waikiki and other more populous places.

Carry valuables with you, do not leave them in the car or leave them at the Hotel.

Went looking for turtles, no luck! This is a beautiful beach. Awesome view. There were no people at the beach.

We went out to North Shore to see turtles and were not disappointed !! Sure enough at Laniakea , there they were,we were not disappointed. What a Beautiful sight these turtles are !!

Amazing little spot. We went for a walk in the middle if the day at high tide not really expecting to see any turtles given they sun in the evenings and mornings. But as we walked up the far end of the beach we saw 4 turles along the way just having a swim in the surf. Watched them from the waterline. Great fun.

One main goal for Oahu was fining the sea turtles, and Laniakea Beach did not disappoint. They say the best time to go is between 11-1, during this time I did manage to see about 5 sea turtles in the ocean and two came up on land. Please be patient if you come here, you are in the sea turtles schedule and they will come when they want to. Bask in their beauty.

We stayed there half a day but the traffic is worst! You have to go super early around 7-8am otherwise you can be waiting in your car for 1 hour just 1 mile away. And there's not plenty of parking. But worth-it to see turtles everywhere! It's like a playground to them! Be sure to bring food and water because if you leave your parking spot, there's no turning back with traffic. No lifeguard, the beach is small but white sand.

We heard you could spot green sea turtles here and luckily we did! We saw 5 turtles on the beach; 2 of which we saw crawl their way out of the ocean and onto the sandy beach! I saw another turtle while snorkeling in the water, however it was a bit too rough for good snorkeling the day we visited. The long, sandy beach is also a great place to relax and watch surfers at times. I didn't notice any facilities at the beach.

Pretty nice area for turtles to bask. Lots of people stressing the turtles out by standing so close to edge of the water when they wanted to come out of the water :(

Please do not stop at this beach to see the turtles!There is no parking that does not severely impact the flow of traffic, and stopping here is not something that local residents support. In fact, there have been multiple residents whose pets have died sitting in “turtle traffic” because they could not get them to the vet fast enough. There is one road in and out of the north shore, and with all the tourists/tour busses parking mauka and crossing the street, traffic can back up for miles. There are many other places to see turtles, like Aliʻi Beach Park, with parking and bathrooms that do not impact transportation. We thank tourists for supporting our economy and want you to enjoy our beaches and unique marine life, but please do not stop at this beach!

What an amazing beach and experience
A must do if you go to visit the Pipeline.
Not signed posted but you will see the crowds stopping
Wardens on the beach to protect the turtles

Worth the visit

This beach is beautiful and perfect for snorkeling or just laying in the sun. There are lots of turtles and tourists ignore the rules to touch them so don’t be that guy! There are turtle monitors watching as well.

Parts of beach have no lifeguard so be careful and follow the signs and flags. Winter swimming with surf is only for experienced surfers but awesome to watch. There are sea turtles in the warm weather and I recommend hiring the snorking guides who are also lifeguards. Stay safe.

We saw two turtles the day we went and they are just chilling on the beach. Good surfing spot too! If you want to see turtles, this is the place to visit

a beautiful paradise, parking here is pretty easy specially right before sunset as most people have been gone for the day, but let me tell you that the sunset time is the best time to come.

the water was perfect, we got to see an amazing turtle, majestic and super large in size, just chilling in the sand.

I did hear that in the earlier morning hours you would be able to see more than one turtle chilling as they tend to come over here mostly during the day. keep that in mind when planing no come over here.

the water is so inviting and friendly. you can see the surfers hanging out in the horizon and finally watch one of the most amazing sunsets in life.

the Hawaiian sunset is a sight to be seen it is the most special thing about the island.

the beach made it much more special for sure.

this is a must if you come anywhere near Honolulu.

A great place to see sea turtles on the beach. We were fortunate to get to see two make their way out of the water. Parking is challenging. Find a spot along the road, but be careful not to park in a no parking zone.

Okay, most everyone coming to Hawaii knows about turtle beach. It is one of the most visited beaches on a tour through Hale'iwa and on around the island due to the likelihood of turtle sighting either on the beach or in the surf. The big Honu haul themselves onto the sand to reenergize from the sun during the day and slip back into the surf in the evening to do their thing. They are amazing creatures, endangered, highly revered here in the islands and worth a visit to catch a glimpse. Just don't get close...

The beach looks and feels kind of dirty when compared to other beaches on the island. We didn't see any turtles here but we did see them at Halona beach cove.

Turtles and more turtles! There is highway parking and a lot across from the beach. The turtles like to hang out in the rocky area. We saw several during our visit!

You won't just be turtle watching, you'll also be watching people from all over the world react in astonishment to these magnificent creatures.
Park across the road. Talk to the volunteers, they are amazing, too, as one of them is there 24/7 to make sure the turtles stay safe!!
Our turtle was a big girl of 24 years. They are all named and tracked.
This is something you can do for free and it's something that makes your trip extra special.

We were really disappointed in our visit to Turtle Beach. We saw one swimming in the water but that was it. My daughter was in the water at the time and the turtle swam towards her but my daughter had to go running away because the environmentalist was yelling (fairly politely) to stay 10 feet away. Ummm the turtle was swimming towards her, my daughter wasn't chasing the turtle. But anyways, it is a nice beach. Obviously hit and miss with seeing the turtles on the beach area

We did not see lots of sunning turtles on the beach, but we did see some in the water near to shore. This is a very nice family-friendly beach along the North Shore. It was down a bit from the famous Banzai pipeline area, but there were some surfers to watch. Parking can be an issue, but we were lucky to find a spot directly across the street. Although known as Turtle Beach, I think the area is officially "Laniakee Beach", located at 610786 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa.

You would pass by this place very slowly (due to pedestrians crossing street to their cars) and wonder why there are so many people here. There are no signs, no giveaways, unless you park and venture down to the beach yourself. This area is well known for turtles that swim but also come up on the beach to relax and get some sun. We were here for about an hour and came across 3 turtles, seeing a bunch more swimming no more than 20 feet away from us.

If you have snorkeling gear, its great to swim and see them. If not, you can catch them on the beach. There are beach patrol around that monitor and even rope off the area when they sun bathe but also leave a sign detailing who is who.

Nice pit stop area though!

It is literally just another beach. There is nothing special about this beach, there are turtles EVERYWHERE in Hawaii. There is no need to sit through horrible traffic and cross a busy road to walk down to the rocky shoreline and MAYBE see 1 or 2 turtles. Just go tot he beach wherever you are staying and look in the water and you will see turtles. Or better yet, go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, Waikiki, or Haleiwa Beach park and you will see plenty of turtles and have amenities like a bathroom and parking.

I had read this is the place to go to see Green Sea Turtles. Many reviews say the parking is horrendous. I didn’t find it too bad. There was a lot across from the beach that held approximately 50 cars. We didn’t have any problem getting a spot. The beach itself is fairly small and pretty rocky. We didn’t see any turtles but when we drove by again later in the day there was one on the beach with a crowd around it. This beach is overhyped.

We are wildlife and nature lovers so it made sense for us to go to this beach to see Turtles. We had seen a couple during our trip before but wanted to stop there anyway as it is the place for it. We stopped the first time around 9am and saw a couple in the water with a few people around us looking at the ocean. Were decided to come back around 2pm and it was awful. Around 30-50 people were at the beach and a lot of them were getting in the water trying to take photos with the turtles, touching them and preventing them to get to the shore. There were signs not to approach them less then 10ft or 3m and we had to tell a few people off as they just didn't care. This left a bittersweet taste of this whole experience and after 1h of struggling to even get a view of the turtles we decided to leave. People need to respect those animals and not act like idiots just to get a photo that will sit on a hard drive for years..

Such a picturesque spot we came here three times for sunset and during the day in search of the famous Honu. We saw one during the day but loved every minute here.

My husband and I decided on an impromptu visit to Laniakea Beach so we could have specifically turtle time. We were not disappointed. I not only was blessed with some great photographic shots of them for my beach home walls but swim time as well. We went on a Tuesday and parking/traffic was still hellacious with tourists but it was worth the aggravation.

Highly recommend this location if you live on Oahu like us and want to be sure to show your visiting friends and family a Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle or two...or three...I lost count.

We stopped by here on our North Shore visit. Beautiful beach. We were there early and didn't see any turtles. Parking is on the side of the road.

The turtles on this beach were huge. There was a wildlife officer on hand to ensure that the public presented no danger to the turtles. Very cool.

Beautiful Beach and saw lots of Turtles at the end of November with high tides!!! Loved visiting the northside of the island

Got lucky to see two turtles on the beach with plenty more in the water. Although it rained and water seemed fairly rough came to see turtles which is what we got.

We saw a turtle on our first walk down to the narrow beach. Be sure to walk to the trees and go through the simple trail. Do NOT try to walk down on the slippery rocks. People were generally respectful of other people and everyone gave the turtle a lot of room. Her name is Kanoa means Free One. She’s 65 lbs and came to that beach in April 2021. She’s a juvenile. Parking was easy across from the beach. There were no broken windows and many people parked their cars there.

We thought there were always turtles on this beach but we learned there is not. There are always local turtle life guards there to make sure when they do come to shore that no 1 touches them. So that's why some get upset but it's the LAW so don't do it. Anyway we finally got lucky our 3rd time stopping by. Parking is easy, it's where all the surfers park so it's the area that's packed like always. There are many paths to go down to this area. Many people are dumb and walk on the slippery rocks and fall and yep here comes the Ambulance.

Anyway, when they are there it is a BEAUTIFUL experience! Our son LOVES turtles so it made his entire trip. We got to see 3 on shore and many in the water near shore. The tide came in and took 1 of the turtles back out to sea.

It's a good spot to snorkel too. Small beach so not for hanging out. There was a stand there that sold some cool turtle necklaces.

I brought my teenagers to this beach on a vacation, my teens are always on their phones and never go outside. My teenagers handed me their phones as soon as they saw the beach, they ran to the beach and didn't ask for their phones back all day! I loved this trip and so did they! We hope to visit again soon! We loved our trip and recommend it to anyone!!!

Aug. 2018. We saw lots of honu resting on the beach here around 1pm. If you are in the water you can swim with them.

We knew from a previous visit that there are turtles that come up on the beach here every day! They normally come around noon-ish and then stay until after sunset. There is an organization there that monitors the turtles that come up. They are able to identify them and keep everyone a safe distance. The beach is large with plenty of space to spread out and perfect to watch the sunset. There are also quite a few people surfing here as well. If you want a sure fire way to see turtles, this is your spot!

You will see Hawaiian green sea turtles here.

Some people hop out of their cars, snap a few photos, and keep going. We spent about 90 minutes swimming and snorkeling here. Probably saw a dozen or so turtles on sea and land. It is illegal to touch or even approach closer than 10’. It’s posted everywhere and sometimes volunteers are patrolling and enforcing.

The water is a little turbulent stirring up sand. Visibility can be poor until you hear someone shouting to back away or give him space.

Teens enjoyed turtles in addition to other reef sea life.

Ok so we went in the evening saw quite a few turtles. We snorkeled with them watched them eat. The traffic is bad on that side of the island for working hours. It has rocks you have to climb down to the beach a couple of steps. And never leave things in your car for people to see put it in the trunk.

This is a very beautiful beach but parking is very limited. You can go about a mile to Kailua beach with good parking. It is in a residential area with no parking on the street.

We went before sunrise on a Tuesday, and were the only people there. No trouble parking across the street, though crossing was still a challenge. There was one single turtle for me and my wife to watch alone for a long time. Very nice, intimate experience. Go early!

I've been to Oahu several times over the years, but I've never gone out of my way to look for turtles, until this time because my kids wanted to see them. I did research on the web, and Laniakea Beach was frequently mentioned as the place to go, so that's what we did.

Parking is a bit of a challenge, but we found a spot and followed the crowds. Once we walked down the edge of the beach, sure enough, one Green Turtle was resting on the sand. She had a very big audience. After taking a few pictures, we just parked outsleves in the shade and watched the waves for 30 minutes and we saw a few more turtles coming in and out of the water. My kids were so excited, they could've stayed there for hours to watch. I admit that I found watching them quite relaxing too.

Sometimes the best things in life are free. Certainly worth visiting whether it be for 15 minutes or half a day.

This resort looks very high end with Segway scooters zipping by and many people who come from money around. The bay itself is small and there is not much to see snorkeling. The only turtles we could see were on the signs and painted on the buildings. The bay is so small and outside of the bay it is so rough. We only stayed for about an hour and moved on

The grandkids had a lot of fun here swimming near the turtles. Traffic is slow in that area and parking is limited.

We hit Laniakea Beach after our North Shore Shark Adventure not realizing the the turtles don't come up to rest/nest until the afternoon. We met a really helpful volunteer at the beach who advised us that the best time to see them is between 12-3pm.

We weren't able to hang out that long unfortunately but wanted to share so that anyone going plans accordingly! We came to this beach 11 yrs ago on a trip and we're able to see five very large turtles on the beach, it was really neat.

You want turtles this is where you go. When we arrived att his beach we were upset because there is not much safe swimming as the coast here is surrounded by a layer of slippery rock. There is a small area in the corner that has a very good but small area to swim. There are lifeguards posted here and plenty of signs warning of the dangers of slippery rock.

We walked the beach looking for a potential spot to set up our beach stuff and before we could even find a spot found three turtles playing on the edge of the surf. One actually ride a wave up onto the rocks. He was there for about 15 minutes before another wave came in and he turned a slid back into the water.

After our turtle encounter we left to find a beach more accommodating.

If you're looking for up-close views of sea turtles, this is the right spot. We hit the timing right, and came on a Thursday when traffic was not bad. We were able to get a parking spot at public parking right across the road from the beach. There were many turtles swimming in the surf just off the beach, and several were pushed up to the beach by the waves. The turtles would stay on the beach for a few minutes before pushing themselves back out into the water. Awesome scenery and incredible creatures!

Sea turtles bob in the surface and come up on shore to rest and soak up the sun midday. Very cool to see these creatures up close.

We too saw a number of turtles without even trying too hard. We approached the beach from a residential street slightly west (or southwest) of the main beach so had it largely to ourselves.

This is really a must-stop location on the North Shore.

Awesome location located right off the Hwy to see tons of Turtles. We saw 15-20 turtles including 5-6 beached. Parking was easy in a large gravel parking lot.

We briefly visited Laniakea Beach on the way to the falls. It was a great stop and we got to see many turtles, some of which were on the sand.

Beautiful! We saw a big turtle snoozing on the beach! There are no washrooms and no place to rinse your feet off though! It’s a nice, quiet beach for your family! Bring your sunscreen!!

Car got broken into and I was threatened with my kids watching. DONT GO THERE UNLESS YOU WANT TROUBLE!!!!! All this for one turtle we saw. Traffic was crazy and took 2 hours to get there only to have window smashed and back pack stolen. Trip Advisor needs to take this down or they could be held liable in some way shape or form.

Didn’t see any turtles but a smallish one in the waves. The shore is rocky and uneven, no place to picnic, parking is wherever you kind find on the sides of the highway, and it was just our bad luck the we didn’t see any turtles. I’m not sure if it was bad luck or it wasn’t the season but we stayed their for about 30 minutes and waited but no turtles. A little disappointing

Excellent place to come if you're interested in spotting some turtles. We arrived around 10:30am on a cloudy day and there was a turtle up on the beach. We also spotted a ton of turtles in the water! It was an amazing experience. There's no lot so be on the lookout for roadside parking.

A nice place to swim with turtles. They are right there on the beach and in the water. Best to have a snorkel to see them swimming under water.

One of north shores many gorgeous beaches. Hard to pick where to set up beach chairs so we checked them all out. This one has more rocks than others, but good chance to see sea turtles.

Didn’t see one turtle here so was a little disappointed. Lots of people snorkelling.

Parking a little tricky but you may score one on the road opposite.

We went there about 5pm and saw a turtle! It was very crowded but worth going there to see - it was raining when we went so not a huge amount of people on the actual beach but if you’re just heading there for the turtles about 5pm is the best time to go

Go here if you want smashed windows, loads of traffic, rocky swimming, road rage, and sea urchin in your feet.

Everything we asked for, turtles! I had low expectations because we could never find them until now. We drove 45 mins from Waikiki to Laniakea Beach and well worth the drive.

Wow! When they said turtles I thought we might see one or two! No there were hundreds of them! They like to feed on the green seaweed and it is in abundance so they are there.

Such beautiful animals. Some really big ones and other smaller ones. They are protected so important to watch from a distance.

We were there in a rainy day which didn’t matter. The kids loved it!! Highly recommend visiting this beach. You can swim there (we didn’t). Beware the rocks are super slippery with all the seaweed on them.

We followed up our trip to the turtle beach with lunch at the food trucks. Giovanni’s shrimp was yum!!

Originally we wanted to go to Turtle Bay, but the locals persuaded us to try this beach. It was beautiful, albeit smaller and more contained than some of the other beaches, but absolutely worthwhile. A few caveats- it is crowded, if you don’t get there early the limited parking is full, and you are allowed to see the turtles, but from a distance (my husband refers to them as “boulders with legs”). The Green Turtle is endangered, and you’re not allowed closer than 10 feet (social distancing with some extra); the turtle volunteers will visually and verbally alert you if you get too close. Still a great experience and worth going to if you really want to see North Shore beauty.

Beach was crowded when we got there, but worth the trip to see the very large turtles swimming all around and almost felt like they were putting on a show for everyone. Enjoy!!

We ventured out to Laniakea Beach hoping to find a parking spot and see some turtles and we did!
Parking is limited but, not hard to get as most people make quick stopovers to spot the turtles and take a few photos, then leave. We managed to get a spot right away upon arrival.
Cross the street and down to the beach and there was large gathering of people taking photos.
Fortunately, there was 1 beautiful turtle laying in the sand. To respect its natural space, ropes were set up to keep spectators a safe space away and works for taking amazing photos of these beautiful creatures.
We stayed for 15 minutes and headed to our next destination.
A must go to if you're heading to the North Shore.

Beautiful beach even though we didn’t see any turtles. Be advised that parking across the street from the beach is prohibited. We did not see the signs and came back to the car to see an $85 parking ticket. You’re welcome HDOT.

Plenty of sea turtles on the beach and in the water. We stumbled upon this beach driving by. Definitely a great stop!

It was alright. Saw one turtle the beach was nice. You can make it a quick stop and maybe you will see more turtles.

We came here specifically to see the turtles and it DID NOT disappoint! We were able to snorkel with them, at a distance, and get some great shots of them on the beach! You'll know the spot when you see all the cars parked on the road and people walking across it. They do have volunteers there to assist with questions and keep people in check. By check, I mean keep people from crowding the turtles and trying to touch them. The volunteers don't play around so don't test them. They removed two kids from the water due to the repeatedly trying to touch the turtles while they were swimming.

Overall, it's a majestic place and swimming with the turtles was awesome!

Great beach to learn hiw to surf!

We enjoyed ourselves so much and we highly recommend going there on your next trip!

Saw turtles every evening in Waikiki. But I had heard of this is really a great place for seeing turtles so we had to go. We drove well over an hour on freeways filled with horrible traffic, then suffered through an eternity of backed up single lane traffic. TRAFFIC really horrible TRAFFIC. Searched for parking and finally backed up the cars behind us when we found someone pulling out, Braved nasty looks from drivers and potential death as we struggled to cross the road. Hot, tired, stressed, we finally made it to the beach. For what?! No turtles on the beach! Apparently they come and go throughout the day. What a waste!

We stayed on the North Shore for a week so regardless of the day’s activity we would stop for a minute and see if a turtle had emerged. I think we saw one every day but one. The volunteers rope them off and keep a close watch, but they love questions and you can take take pictures. They know most of the sea turtles by name (Olivia) and even have some signs posted about them. I never saw more than one turtle on the beach at a time, but I saw a few floating near water’s edge that never came ashore.

Sea turtles are found here very close to shore but parking is very difficult. Expect traffic jams both directions and tight parking on the side of the road. There were a lot of turtles though and very cool to see. But don't touch them!

It's easy to miss this beach not he way to more popular and well-known locations on the North Shore, but if you can spare an hour or two, you will not want to miss this! The reason so many turtles are there is because the sea grass grows on the rocks and they have plenty to eat. There are many good sized turtles you can see coming ashore. Definitely not a place you want to miss.

I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be staying on the North Shore and having to deal with the oblivious tourists stopping at this beach.

You are dangerous. Crossing the street and pulling out of the parking spots (where it clearly says no parking). You cannot just run out in to traffic and you can’t just pull out in front of traffic. The people that come to this beach cause massive traffic jams in both directions because of their inconsiderate and dangerous behaviour.

There are many other places on the island to see Turtles. Go swimming at any other beach outside of Waikiki and you will probably see turtles.

Just stop the insanity

we drove by and there was yellow caution tape by the beach so we didn't stop. the tide was high and there was almost no beach to go to. we were bummed wanted to see turtles

Went early morning to get a car park, hit one easily. Parking is across a busy road, it is limited however there is a crossing. To get to beach you stumble over tree roots and rocks. There is a small part of Beach to access water. On our day the visibility was 2 arm lengths so hard to see when snorkelling, though a few fish to see. Water is at least warm. Was snorkelling for about an hour and then decided to leave as there was no turtles, however they the. Showed up in the shallow water by the rocks - you can not walk in rocks as covered in green slime. It was great to see them playing however hard to see in the murky water. Discovered better places to see the turtles. Note there are no bathroom or change facilities here.

I was thrilled to be able to observe these amazing sea creatures up close. I was particularly pleased to see that people were staying outside the boundaries and giving the turtles their own space. As for the beach itself it is great for surfing but not for swimming - the waves are strong and crash close to the beach. Great for watching surfers. Nice picnic area before getting on the beach as well.

My husband and I were staying at Turtle Bay and could not find a sea turtle for the life of us!! I searched reviews and found that this may be the beach to visit. We headed there early morning around 7 am and sure enough.. one was one the beach! We even got to see him push himself back into the ocean.. made our trip complete to see this beautiful creature !

I went last Nov and didn't see any turtles. So, I went again this trip twice. The first time I saw 1 and was so excited. The second time a few days later I saw 1, then 2 ended up seeing 6!! You park across the street from the small beach. Head to the right down by the trees there is a path to get down to the beach where you'll see the turtle. At first, I thought they were large rocks. It was amazing.

If I could give this negative 5 stars I would. The turtles were EXTINCT - NONE not even swimming.

After covid the Hawaii Turtle Coalition relocated ALL the turtles to Turtle Bay resort.
The turtle attendant at the beach said they took the eggs and mamas- and put them at Turtle Bay Resort because it’s the namesake. It was a living hazard at Lanis cuz of the trash and tourists having no respect.

We also had our car window smashed in and everything stolen ! BE AWARE ! Don’t drive rental cars- take “The Bus” ! The chronics (druggies) KNOW the rental cars because of the license plates and since covid the turtle attendant said they are breaking in to only rental cars. If I come back I will buy a monthly bus pass for $60 and not have to stress about my stuff getting stolen!

Lots of green turtles everywhere. A great stop along the north shore. Come early to find parking easily. It gets crowded in the afternoon.

After reading the reviews I was hoping this beach would be covered with turtles. Unfortunately after two trips to this beach, no turtles came to the beach. One day we saw one bopping his head around in the water on the beach, and on the second day, a turtle was tucked away in the rocks off the beach.

If you're really excited about turtles, you will likely find this beach disappointing. If you're nearby you could make a quick stop, but I would not recommend driving an hour to the north shore just for this.

The good thing is that there are staff on hand during the day who like to share their knowledge about turtles and help you spot the little guys if they're out in the water. According to them, the best time to see the turtles is early afternoon on a sunny day. If it's windy or rainy, I would definitely skip this beach.

Had a great day snorkeling with turtles and watching from the shore very safe . The people who were overseeing the turtles were very friendly and informative. You need a car and have a full day out make sure you bring Food and water no where to buy.

A beach on the North Shore, less than an hour's drive from Waikiki. I visited this beach because there is a 99% chance of encountering sea turtles, especially from March to September.

When I got there, I could see more than 20 sea turtles, just within sight, having a meal while being rocked by the waves. The turtles were happy and didn't seem scared, but it is good manners to stay at least 3 meters away from them when watching them.

Apparently, you can see them coming up to land to rest after their meal.

There is a public parking lot right in front of the beach. I went on a Sunday and had to line up, but since you can see the turtles without having to wait for a long time, there were a fair number of people coming and going, so I was able to park in about 10 minutes.

This beach is utterly stunning and 5 stars just for that! I'm writing this review for anyone who decides to make a day trip from Honolulu (like we did). We saw 0 turtles and there had been none all day and this info came from locals:
+ Turtles don't like rough water, so if it's windy they will go somewhere else
+You are likely to see Turtles on any north shore beach so don't clog the road to this one
+There is limited parking so get dropped off / get the bus if you can. If coming from/ to Honolulu you may have to wait a while for an Uber
+The little town Haleiwa is very close and very cute as a back up option

It was worth it for the beautiful drive across the island and for a beautiful beach but be prepared, get there sensibly and have a turtle back up plan.

If you are too excited about watching turtles and snorkeling around them for free then this is it ..beach is not the best one in Oahu ,it’s full of big slippery rocks ..parking is very very tough on a side of a highway ..crossing of road is kind of dangerous with kids but everybody doing it ..so just watch for cars and stay careful. We went two times ,first day went late afternoon ,cloudy day no turtle was around ..Next day morning was sunny ,turtles start to come around 11 to 12 with high tides ..we saw three resting on ground and so many in water ..There are people from turtle conservation and they try their best to keep turtles safe ,But I felt so sad that people were so crazy to touch ,disturb and take selfies with those turtles .We spend almost four hours watching turtles coming and going and snorkeling in water with turtles .No bathrooms or any other facility around .

This spot was a highlight of my trip. I have seen sea turtles in a zoo but it’s not the same. They take protecting these guys very seriously in Hawaii ! Volunteers watch out for the turtles and make people get away from them as best they can. We got to watch several come a shore and rest on the beach. I definitely will never forget this experience of seeing them in the wild. We snorkeled a bit on the beach as it was calm but the real highlight was the turtles.

IMPORTANT
As a local here I will share with everyone reading this something tour companies wont tell you. The traffic here sucks, expect to sit in your car for about 60 minutes to travel 15 miles. More importantly as more and more tourists come to visit the added foot and vehicle traffic is wearing down our roads faster and faster. If you visit you'll discover the roads in the north shore are already terrible and full of potholes and cracks the added traffic is causing the roads to erode into the sea faster too. Additionally the amount of people constantly walking on the reef and getting suntan and sunscreen lotions in the water is making the water murky and have a slightly oily film to it which is killing the reef and causing less and less fish to go to parts of the beach and its changing the eco system that and most importantly not as many turtles are coming around to turtle beach.
All this plus the aforementioned traffic is causing more and more locals to get frustrated and I have personally witnessed locals being hostile to visitors not to mention all the food trucks and illegal AirBnB that are popping up as well.

The water was so clean and beautiful! There was a turtle on shore living its best life surrounded by leaves shaped as a heart! I would still say this beach was pretty private compared to Waikiki and north shore beaches

Turtle Beach is amazing. Large turtles sun themselves on the sand. A group of volunteers provided information and made sure the turtle was comfortable, and tourist watched from a distance. Definitely worth a stop to see the wildlife.

This beach has all the stuff dreams are made of, beautiful ocean water, sands, palm trees, mountains, and more. The beach was quiet, breathtakingly beautiful, however a crowd started to gather at one end, I believe to look at the sea turtles.

We walked down the way for a quieter experience. There are many gorgeous beaches on the North Shore and this one is a little overexposed by tours, as the traffic surrounding this beach is brutal - again because of the turtles. Nothing against beautiful sea turtles but not a huge fan of crowds and traffic.

My daughter and I were just swimming when a couple of turtles came by and swam right under me! It was an awesome experience!

I know the best time to go is from 11am to 1pm. Since we stop by at the Dole plantation, we end up arriving there at 4pm. There is 1 young turtle there. The volunteer told us the turtle has been there since 1pm. I believe there will be more turtle during the summer time. We stay for 30 min or so. Got to see the turtle swim back to the ocean. What a cool experience.

Waves were big, I would not recommend swimming in this beach during winter time.

This ia a great beach for watching sea turtles. Just be careful not to park accross from the beach.

It is posted with no parking signs and warnings about being towed. You would also be crossing a highway, which is not safe. You'll know when the turtles are there because traffic will be a mess (mostly because of tourists crossing the highway

This is the spot that holds up traffic every day on Kamehameha highway. People slow down to look at turtles. If you want to experience it. Just park and walk down to the water.

I can just about guarantee you will see multiple turtles Takes about 15 min. And you are on your way.

If you go I hope you get to see the turtles coming in! Absolutely amazing sight to see! They look like rock bobbing in the water. What a peaceful and majestic animal!

We visited this beach for the turtles but didn't see any in November. Good for a walk or just relaxing in the sun if you have plenty of time in north shore. Park on the road, cross and walk to the beach.

Nice beach to view sea turtles and watch the sunset. This time of year the sun sets right on the edge of the mountains making for beautiful pictures. We saw turtles in the water but none came onto the beach. There is parking across the street but the pavement is in bad shape, be careful parking and crossing the road.

We rented a car and toured the north shore stopping at many of the beaches along the way. All are beautiful and most are dotted with surfers but Laniakea Beach also afforded us the opportunity to see a number of Green Sea Turtles as they were feeding in the surf along the beach. This was a highlight for us, we couldn’t help but to be awestruck by these magnificent creatures. I recommend this beach but ask that you please keep your distance from the turtles as there were other tourists there when we were who disregarded the signage and went within a few feet for the sake of their photos.

Beautiful beach, we were in mid-August and we saw almost a dozen turtles swimming towards the shore, which even climbed onto the beach to rest. Beautiful!

We got to see one turtle cruising the waters. It was trying to get up onto the beach to sunbaked, but there was just a wall of people whom would not shift, no matterr how hard the park ranger tried to get them to. Maybe they should partition some of it off to allow the turtles some space. parking was a nightmare.

Go around lunchtime to see the turtles. Beach can get crowded with everyone trying to see the turtles. It’s fun to see the turtles and watch everyone’s reaction to seeing them.

I feel terrible for locals in the North Shore. Tourists coming to look at Turtles (that aren't even there) is causing a major nightmare and congestion in this area. Do yourself a favor and jump in the Ocean. We swam with many sea turtles and it was much more enjoyable. Skip it!

Our second try at seeing a giant turtle, and this time a turtle was indeed there. There were quite a few visitors but everyone was respectful of the turtle. The volunteers, a woman and a boy, were very willing to talk about the turtle and answer questions.
Beautiful location, well done information, protected giant turtles.

The beach is known for the turtles that come to shore to rest here. The first day we went we saw a turtle come ashore. Volunteers rope it off and make sure people respect the turtles space. The second time we visited there were at least 10-15 turtles in the water. You could swim and snorkel with them and it was amazing. Definitely worth the visit.

I saw turtles every time we stopped here They come right up on the beach and the volunteers do a good job of keeping them protected. Decent snorkeling here.

We travelled to Laniakea Beach in the hopes of seeing sea turtles & we were in luck!
It was a beautiful experience seeing these amazing creatures relaxing on the sand & swimming in groups in their own natural environment. Volunteers were there to protect the turtles on the beach & everyone was being quite respectful (I hope the same respect for these beautiful turtles is shown when the volunteers aren't there)

There is no parking (watch out for no parking signs as it is patrolled) & it can be quite crowded throughout the day but its so worth it to see these gorgeous turtles in their natural environment

TOURISTS LISTEN UP!!!! LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Stay in Waikiki, theres more turtles there than I've seen on any other side of the island.
**THIS BEACH IS NOTORIOUS FOR TIGER SHARK SIGHTINGS!! No joke!

Seems like the reason why they push Laniakea beach for turtles is to bring tourists out here. Definitely a tourist trap, all the tour busses just want your $$$! Even though there are NO turtles there. It is extremely rare to go to Laniakea beach and actually see a turtle there. Its because theres so many tiger sharks in the water, the turtles left years ago.

IF I COULD WRITE ZERO STARS I WOULD!!! No turtles, every time I go.
when my friends come visit me I take them to Waikiki to see the turtles, there's way more there.
You'll have a way better experience and over all trip staying in Town/Waikiki!! My friends love staying there when they come visit me :) Not to mention its a lot safer than all the other sides of the island.

We enjoyed our swim with the turtles at Laniakea Beach! Very sandy shore for easy access and helpful and passionate volunteers on beach!
We swan early morning and saw turtles however I have heard the afternoons are the time for a lot more turtle encounters!

This is a very popular north shore beach for spotting turtles. Remember to be respectful and keep your distance from the turtles. Lots of tourists try to play with and touch the turtles. This is illegal. There are usually conservationists here who are very knowledgeable and willing to teach you more about the turtles. I always see at least 3-4 turtles when I come here, usually more. It is a rocky beach and some areas are slick, so be careful.

The parking is not ideal but we saw turtles each time we went! North Shore had much more traffic than I anticipated!

Volcanos and turtles were the top of the list for our holiday. We drove to Laniakea Beach for the best (11am-1pm) chance of seeing the turtles and weren’t disappointed. Parking can be a problem but we were lucky and drove straight into one.
Watch crossing the road as it was very busy.
Be careful of the sharp rocks in places.
Great swimming at the sandy beach with turtles cruising past you constantly. Missy, a 39 year old female turtle, was sunning herself on the beach and certainly wasn’t fazed by the attention.
2 volunteers who were there looking after the turtles interacted well with the public and were very knowledgeable.
Well worth a visit.

My family and I came to this beach because we heard it was a great place to spot sea turtles and it did not let us down. We saw turtles on the beach and also swimming close to shore. Very cool to see these creatures in their natural environment. My kids enjoyed the beach and were amazed with the turtles. Parking isn’t real great but if you don’t mind walking a little ways, it is a pretty cool beach.

No turtles. Most of the area is closed off. Caution tape everywhere. The water is super rough, so no swimming either. The best part is that there’s plenty of shade in the morning.

Briefly visited to see some turtles and it was quite amazing. Turtles were resting on the beach with volunteers closely watching to make sure people don't come too close. We were lucky that we were able to see it on our tour as parking seemed like a nightmare!

we had to visit there 5-6 times on this trip but we finally saw one of the gentle giants. Such beautiful, peaceful creatures. It was worth visiting the beach. You have to go when it's sunny and the waves aren't too rough.

The traffic here is a nightmare, very slow and a bit dangerous. You have to park across the road from the beach and take your chances crossing the road. I would really hate to live around here. Having said that, we saw about 20 beautiful turtles while we were there (for about an hour). It was quite magical to see these beautiful creatures just off the shore and sometimes even on the rocks. There were loads of people taking photos but I was glad to see that no one was actually approaching the turtles, even though they were only a couple of feet away. I was quite concerned though that people (including us) were allowed to get so close to the turtles. That really seems like a tragedy waiting to happen. I feel it would be better to be a bit more controlled, by perhaps, Parks and Wildlife or whoever the USA equivalent of that is. Just to ensure the safety of the turtles.

This is a must for my wife every time we come to Hawaii. There are always turtles sunbathing on this beach. You can get some awesome pictures. Of course there will be all kinds of tourists trying to take selfies with the turtles. The local conservation group ropes off the turtles to keep people approximately 10 foot back (which I think is great). You can snorkel here, but the churnakes the water a little hazy and more difficult to get any underwater photos of the turtles.

Due to the hordes of people, there was no room for the turtles! if you drive anti -clockwise around the Island the parking is on the opposite side of the road, which makes getting back on the road difficult to due to traffic congestion.

Went to Laniakea Beach hoping to see turtles. I saw one review said best time to go was between 11am-1pm so that’s what we did. I did see a head pop out the water and maybe a shell. But none on the beach when I went and I was there about an hour. It was nice for pics and watching surfers. Water is rough so be careful letting small children walk along the shore line by themselves or with parents not so close. Those waves can carry kiddos out. Parking is limited so have to park across the street along the road where the ranch and horses are. You won’t get towed but be careful crossing the street if you have small kids. Lots of cars. I was still a nice trip up but would have loved to see the turtles. I guess will just have to go to Hawaii again. Haha. Oh but it gave us a nice excuse to drive the island and go to Bonzai pipeline and other areas also. Beautiful and scenic and one of our favorite parts of the trip!

This time of year the north shore waters are quite rough, so we stayed on the shore to watch the surfers!

If you don’t mind the rocks and bus loads of tourists then it may be for you. There are life guards.

I went to this beach with the knowledge that it was the place to go to see sea turtles. If you want to be guaranteed to see a turtle go during the summer!! I went during the winter and it was more like playing “I spy”. The turtles were hidden in the waves but I had so much fun and probably more excitement doing that because it was a hunt and seemed more rare. Finally after waiting a bit a turtle did go onto shore and it was awesome! I do want to give a BIG shout out to the volunteers that work there every day to protect them and they were very informative and fun to talk to

Laniakea beach nicknamed Turtle beach for Hawaiian green turtles that bask on its Sandy shores during the day. Observe these gentle creatures from a safe distance, and watch them make their way through the rough waves that hit the beach.#Lanikaibeach2023

This beach is a good place to view green sea turtles. They weren't on the beach when we visited, but they were in the water near the beach and fairly easy to see. It's worth a visit, but I gave it 4 stars, because it was quite congested with people. Also, make sure to stay off wet, rocky areas, unless you would like a quick and unexpected trip into the ocean!

The volunteers on the beach are very informative and are protective of the turtles. You aren't suppose to swim in the beaches over winter so swimming with a turtle isn't possible. We saw one pop its head up and disappear quickly. I probably wouldn't return to try and spot them. In Maui they were swimming around me on a random beach.

This beach is popular for travelers hoping to spot sea turtles on the beach. My family and I stopped here and managed to park, at the free parking lot along the highway across the street from the beach, after waiting about ten minutes for someone to vacate a spot. Unfortunately by the time we arrived, which was shortly after noon, there were no turtles present. However, after standing about on the hard, rocky area of the beach for a bit, we (or, some of us) caught a glimpse of one swimming close by within an approaching wave. It never did emerge from the water, though.

We were on the way somewhere so we couldn't stay long. I would not choose this place for a long, relaxing beach time. If I were to go back to try turtle-spotting again, I would try for around mid-morning.

We had heard about this place from a friend and decided to stop to see if there were any Turtles. Parking is somewhat difficult but everyone on the busy road will stop for pedestrian. As we walked in several Turtles could be seen swimming in the water and we then realize that they were for extremely large Turtles who were sunning themselves on the beach. There is a barrier so that you don't go to close but it was a great picture perfect day to see turtles.

We stumbled across this beach by accident. We couldn’t find a park at sunset beach and happened to find one here. Sea turtles basking in the shallows, soft sand and safe swimming makes for a great day. Take a snorkel and respect the turtles space. Too many people getting too close.

Saw two beautiful sea turtles here two days in a row. One of our best experiences on the island and there isn't even a charge associated. Would highly recommend this beach to anyone!

Rocky entry to see the tidepools. Too many tourists so parking is terrible. We viewed from above since we only had sandals.

Nicknamed Turtle Beach. Best to come early in the day. While no turtles on the beach, we spotted several in the water which left us satisfied. There is a parking lot available across the street and we had no trouble finding a spot in the middle of the day on a weekday in March. This is not a wide sandy beach to sit on all day but was rather rocky and a good place to stroll around.

Beautiful beach with turtles but bad parking. It causes alot of traffic delays. I wish they were able to do a designated parking area.

We saw a few turtles in the water, but the swarm of people who gathered whenever one appeared made sure that none of them would dare come onshore. The volunteers do a nice job of providing info on the turtles and making sure people keep their distance.

Great beach ! Easy access , great sand some rocky areas but perfect for snorkeling , lots of fish and turtles to see under the water !!! This is a must do !!!

Green sea turtles come to this place to rest and get warm. We saw 5 - so cute! The beach with sand area is relative small, so you probably don’t want to come here to swim, plus there’s no restroom or water to rinse off.

Very nice, clean beach but very rough. If your not a strong swimmer I would advise you dont go in the water. Riptide is very strong and certain parts of the shoreline are rocky.
Other then that its a beautiful beach. Didnt see any turtles unfortunately. Not sure if that had something to do with the time of year we went.

Stopped here to see if there were turtles. There were none. We tried to get here early (around 9am) but no luck. Parking even then was a bit atrocious and we had a good hike over to the turtle area. Traffic is terrible they go too fast and zoom by, it was scary and we were a group of grown adults all over age 27. We had fun adn saw several pop their heads out of the water, but none come to the beach. We made a 2nd attempt to see some a few days later but it was 1,000 times worse for traffic and parking so we kept driving - did not see any of the red ropes out so figured we again did not miss anything. The North Shore is known for more tumultuous waters and there is no way you would catch me swimming or snorkeling in that crazy tidal wave abyss - perhaps it was time of year, too.

We visited in April after reading online that the best time to see turtles were May-October, and even then we saw SO MANY TURTLES! A few came on the beach and we saw many more in the water.

My family and I were actually swimming in the water as turtles came up to us and swam by us!! Definitely an unforgettable experience! We were mesmerized by the size, and beauty of these animals.

Be warned though. We went to the beach around 2:30/3pm. It was very crowded and people didn’t give the turtles trying to beach, they space they needed.

IT IS ILLEGAL TO TOUCH THESE TURTLES!!
Something that most people don’t know is these turtles were once endangered, so it is a felony to touch or mess with these turtles.

The volunteers are very friendly and definitely love their job, and will be more than happy to educate anyone about their marine life experiences and what it’s like around the area.

The turtles are definitely scared of people if you come too close. They will swim away so don’t expect to get real close to them (again don’t touch them)

The beach is definitely a beautiful play to snorkel and see sea turtles. There are only turtles and fish in the reef, so don’t fear anything too crazy in the water.

We will definitely be coming back to this beach if we ever come back to Oahu!!

Best snorking that I have been to. No real sandy beach, a little hard to make in the water and put your fins on. But once your in, it's great, clear water and tons of fish and brain coral.

If you've heard of the Bonzai Pipeline, this is where it calls home. Actually just a little farther north but the site didn't recognize it. This beach can be very crowded but as I said, just go a bit farther up the road and you can find parking along the road and just a bit of a short walk and you'll pretty much be on the same beach. You really must go see the big waves!

Stop & Piss off the Locals! No Turtles!
Terrible swimming beach, Locals are pissed at tourists here, don't stop unless you want trouble!

If you're headed to the north shore, Laniakea Beach is a must!

You need to park across the street and there is A LOT of traffic so you really need to be careful!

Once on the beach you'll get to see lots of huge turtles and they are beautiful! These turtles are protected so you can't come withing 10 ft of them. They have someone there to keep the tourists at bay which is positive

Really a highlight- so glad we went

The turtles come up throughout the day and they rest on the sands. There are naturalists there you can talk to. They are also protecting them from people who want to sit on them, poke them, etc. thank you volunteers!!

Really great experience to see the green turtles in their environment. They are so gentle and beautiful!

You can’t miss the beach, there will be traffic backed up as people park along the side and run across the street to the beach. It’s the first beach on the left coming out of Hale’iwa towards the North Shore.

There be (honu) turtles here! We've been here two times in three years and both times we were lucky enough to see turtles. Though it would seem the later in the afternoon , the less likely, as just after we parked, it was heading back out to sea. There is a bit of a traffic jam starting here - they are apparently expanding a parking lot across from the beach and as of this writing it was not paved and protected by temporary concrete traffic barriers. All that construction, plus the chance to see turtles creates a perpetual traffic jam during beach operating hours in each direction. The first time we were here, there were three turtles sunbathing and a volunteer organization was on-site to mark off the safe distance to keep away and answer questions.

Laniakea beach is located on the North Shore of Oahu.
We hired a car, but many different tour companies do day trips there.
The beach is very nice to swim at.
You can stand on the shore and see turtles swimming in the shallows.
While we were there a turtle came out of the water and sat on the rocks for a few minutes. It was amazing, they are so beautiful. You can swim with them, but you must stay at least 3 metres away from them, as they are a protected species. You are not permitted to touch or feed them.

On our trip to Hawaii we ended up hiring a care to travel to the North Shore and it was well worth it... Laniakea Beach was one of our highlights of the whole trip.

You arrive at the beach and there is turtles everywhere... when we were there one huge turtle was sun baking on the beach... and about 12 were swimming or on the rocks eating weeds...

There are volunteers manning the beach as part of the protections program to make sure everyone stays a good distance from the turtles...

They are enthusiastic and a wealth of knowledge so treat them with respect they will ensure the turtles are there for everyone for many years

If you don’t want to spend close to $800 US to go on a turtle tour then hire a mustang for $140 and travel up to Laniakea for the day.

I'm going to play devil's advocate to Kellezbellez and offer my experience with my brief visit to Laniakea Beach. Here is the link to Kelly's review, as it's only fair to read both of them and will hopefully also give more exposure to her pov: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60647-d1239692-r686190883-Laniakea_Beach-Haleiwa_Oahu_Hawaii.html

I'd read how difficult parking can be and was not planning to stop, but I listened to the universe when I saw the second open space just across the street from the beach. I'm glad I did.

To Kelly's point, traffic is horrendous and it does slow down the drive along the North Shore. To the point of everyone else, anyone who was BORN & RAISED on Oahu should be well aware of the traffic issues, and, if not able to consider those issues when making housing decisions, then at least accept that very real and well-established reality and allow for plenty of time when driving that stretch of Kamehameha Hwy. Hawaii's economy is, for better or worse, dependent on tourism and than necessarily includes all of the less desirable aspects of that industry.

We stopped at a number of North Shore beaches on the same day and Laniakea was legit the only one where we saw turtles that day. So...

Anyhow, the beach, itself, isn't the best to go swimming. The turtles occupy a chunk of the rocky beach right in the middle, and they need and deserve their space. There are places to swim off to the side, but there are better beaches in the area for swimming.

As for turtle watching, it's great. I saw four large turtles enjoying being left alone to play in the surf. I wouldn't spend half the day there, but if the parking situation allows it, it's a good place to watch the turtles for a few to several minutes--from a respectful distance, of course--snap a few pics, and then give up your parking space to the next car-full of tourists looking for a quick pleasurable experience. My $.02.

A beautiful beach to stop and enjoy the beach and view. If you come in the afternoon, you will have the chance to see at least one or two Sea Turtles and Black Crabs. Everyone is respectful of their space so walk carefully since most wildlife does blend in to their surroundings! We visited between 1-2 pm. I recommend water shoes if you want to climb the rocks to see more Sea Turtles as they feed. It can be a dangerous climb for those who are not active. If you don’t want to climb the rocks, you will still get to see them on the beach near where you will park. I sat on the black rocks and watched the crabs 🦀

No Turtles- and that is the only reason to go to this beach. Evidently you can see turtles here on a nice day. Not us.

We stopped because there was a convenient park( can get very busy) and found one very large Turtle on the beach. I had heard someone by the pool the previous day saying he had been there and seen turtle coming in on the waves - no such luck for us. Timing as they say is everything. Certainly is a pretty beach to walk along and a local was sitting near the turtle answering any questions.

I guess if you love the beach you love
Laniakea Beach.
Beautiful turquoise water.
Great to swim in but I guess still be careful if there is a big swell and or wind. Great to hang out and chill. Definitely not as busy as Waikiki.
Very relaxing and the holiday mode kicks in.

We visited the end of March. We were told that we might not see turtles this time of year due to high surf, however they were swimming near the shore. Six of them. There was a small crowd watching the turtles but everyone took turns viewing, watching and photographing! Was a great experience!

Cute, FREE experience! Hawaii can get pricy quick so enjoy all the freebies of the island. Go early, get a parking spot, carefully hike down and enjoy the turtles!

Absolutely marvelous. Went there around 10.30 am and found parking. Crossed over and found a shady spot to wait. Sure enough we had our first sighting around 11.15 of turtle heads bobbing in and out of the water just of the beach. Finally at 12.00 two turtles came up to the shallow water on the sand and we had a fantastic sight. It was amazing. No turtles came up to the beach to sun, but seeing them in the water was amazing. Got some great videos and pictures. Plan ongoing there and just waiting for them to come.

This is a very popular place and sometimes parking is difficult, but there is usually some street parking in front of the horse farm. Keep in mind that the turtles like to sun themselves, so you may have to try several times to see them (we found them on our 3rd visit). It's worth trying again if you're not successful the first time. They are HUGE and wonderful.

Its a bit of a hike over some rocks but we'll wotmrth the trip. We counted 30 turtles today having some sun. What a sight

the best part was we actually saw a turtle even tho it was mid October. if there are a lot of cars stopping that means there are turtles present. Be careful when parking down near the white fencing across the street is best and safety spot to park. You should be able to see at least 1 turtle between 11am and 3pm..You cannot approach them and there are wardens to ensure this. Wear beach shoes.

When we arrived there was a turtle on the beach. It was fun to watch it. They have people there that rope off the area around the turtles and make sure people stay far enough away. Also saw some in the water right off the beach.

This is a tiny little strip of beach where turtles love to pull up. To get here, you must park on the inland side of the road and cross the highway. Since traffic is often backed up here, crossing isn't too dangerous.

Any time a turtle pulls up on this beach, volunteers ID the turtle, put up a rope to keep visitors from getting too close, and also put up a sign naming and describing the turtle. It's really quite neat. Docents are always happy to answer questions about the turtles.

This doesn't look like a great beach for swimming, but it's a neat place to see creatures up close and learn more about them.

The beach has no parking ( Must park on side of road), no bathrooms,no lifeguards but if you are lucky you will see Sea Turtles. There are voulunteers on the beach who keep the humans at a distance from the turtles and to answer any questions that you have. A very good experience if you just want to drop by and see turtles or to stay and go into the water. Located on the North Shore, it's best to rent a car and Use GPS to get you there.

1) Theres turtles at almost every beach on Oahu!
(2)It’s not “turtle beach”
It’s “laniakea” a popular surf beach!
(3)stopping here is not something that’s locals support
(4) if you stop at laniakea (turtle beach) your frustration most of the locals
(5) please respect the “Honu”(turtles) and go to other beaches to see turtles!!
(6) we thank all tourists for supporting our economy but ask you to not stop at this beach!

Aloha and Mahalo

Parking along the beach is kind of weird but this beach is absolutely gorgeous. The sand is so fine and water is clear as can be. Sea turtles were in abundance here and it was amazing watching them swim around. There’s plenty of signs with information about the turtles and how to behave with the sea turtles. If you’re driving through you should definitely stop and see turtles and crabs in their natural environment.

Stopped by on two different days and ended up staying almost the entire day the second time around. Not only a nice beach (less for swimming, more snorkeling) but we came to see turtles and got lucky with sightings in the morning and again late afternoon when 3 green sea turtles came to shore to bake in the sun. Great volunteers who cordon off the area and make sure the wildlife isn't disturbed. Give the turtles space and let them rest, my photos are taken with a long zoom lens. Great day and mix of wildlife watching and enjoying the sun and waves crashing on Oahu's North Shore.

Read reviews that this is a turtles haven and there was only one turtle. I was so disappointed because I love turtles. But the beach is beautiful and it was empty. Will need to return to see more turtles.

I would categorize this as a must see while visiting Hawaii. What was supposed to be a short visit to see the turtles ended up being a few hours of amazement waiting for the perfect photo as there were many. While in the water and a few that would wash to shore, but only for a brief moment. The beach is also scenic and there were many snorkelers.

Don't go!!!! Major traffic issues And negatively affecting the local way of life. There are many other places that are better to view the turtles. Definitely amiss don't stop here

Honestly I come here all the time just to see turtles and people are parked across the street even though it says no parking in a lot of the areas....Sadly on this trip there were no turtles at all the whole day...according to the volunteer that records them....and only one the previous day! Other times I've been there I've seen 3 to 4 our there or see them eating kelp in the ocean around the rocks to the right side....
I assume the recent hurricane and the warm water kept them away....please respect and do not touch or bother the turtles! They are highly protected!!!!!

We visited this beach after our tour at the Dole Plantation. It was a nice and peaceful beach segments. Parking was easy.
A must to see the turtles!

High theft zone, cars constantly broken into.No turtles here-relocated to Waikiki. There’s many beaches you can see the turtles especially if you get in the ocean. Beach is very Rocky terrible for swimming especially for families. Not worth the drive or dealing with the traffic. Better off going to Waikiki!

There are many places to see the turtles and this is the worst. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else, like Haleiwa Beach Park, or any of the countless other beaches that the turtles frequent. Stopping at Laniakea creates a traffic nightmare for the locals.

Stop and see the turtles. Loved the signs 6ft for social distancing 10 ft for turtles, nice touch! Unique opportunity if you can cross the rode safely each way!

It’s worth the drive to this popular north shore beach. As it is very popular, there is always a crowd, but parking is not a problem, and the driver is very courteous to the visitors. So drive and take in the view if you come in from the east coast and check out the food truck for good yummy food. Twice visited and both sighted the awesome turtles. Recommended..

Beautiful beach and cove for snorkeling. Waters are for the most part calm, and plenty of sea life in the ocean including fish, coral, and sea turtles.

We had been told we might see tsea turtles at this beach. When we poulled up, the parking area was packed and the beach was lined with people. We thought there must be turtles on the beach. We wlked to the beach and asked around only to find out thee had not been a turtle seen all day. About 10 minutes after we got there here comes several turtles towards the shore. One came out to est in the sun, 2 smaller ones stayed in the water. The state has people there to protect the turtles, however, while we were still there 2 different men decided they had to snorkel in the area. One went in right where the smaller turtle was. True to human nature, we can't leave God's creatures alone to live in there world. Someone has to try and ruin it. PLEASE, watch these turtles so other people might get a chance to see them.

This was one of our last stops around the island hoping to see some turtles, not sure if it was just too late but did not see any. Bit hard to park but you will find a spot. We ended up watching the sun set which was amazing.

Beautiful Beach. You can see the turtle. Keep of the green algae on the the rocks because that is what they feed on.

I had read online about Turtle beach but went there knowing that it was winter and not the best season to see many turtles. The beach is not signposted so I would suggest using GPS. There is parking on the opposite side of the road but no pedestrian crossings and the highway is very busy. We found people on Hawaii quite friendly and both times cars stopped to let us cross the road.

We made two visits. On our first we were lucky enough to see three turtles. Two adults and a teenager. On our second we saw nothing and on talking to a shopkeeper in Waikiki, she said she had been 3 times and never seen any.....so we felt quite fortunate.

The beach is patrolled by wildlife volunteers who are caretaking the turtles. They put up a red rope when there are turtles on the beach to keep visitors a safe distance from them. They also have each turtle named and put up little nameboards near them. We found the volunteers very friendly and informative.

We were lucky. There were a lot of sea turtles coming up. They were carried by the waves, came up on the beach, and then went back with the waves. I think the town was lucky to see so many sea turtles. However, the roads around here were very crowded, so it's no wonder they all looked like sea turtles.

I believe this beach is commonly referred to as Turtle Beach, and it lived up to it's name. We were here as a stop on our Circle Island Tour. After lunch, we had a chance to cool off and hopefully see some turtles. We were fortunate enough to see a few of the huge turtles while we were there. They move quite slowly and stop often to eat so we were able to watch from a distance as we would see their heads poke out of the water and go back under.

Sandy beach with parking all along the roadside but TURTLEs on the beach. Just amazing. Worth it for this alone... though it does cause traffic jams as people rubber-neck their way past.

Really terrible beach! There’s almost nowhere to swim due to the rocky shoreline. The water is murky. I didn’t see a single turtle after spending 2 hours in traffic to get there. Spoke to some locals who recommended seeing turtles in Waikiki on the catamaran tours! Really dissapointed!

This beach is known for having the green turtles on the beach or maybe swimming in the water. I have been coming to see these turtles for quite sometime and I finally got to see them. Well worth the drive up in case you get lucky too.

We drove to the North Shore, as Someone had recommended this beach to us to see sea turtles. It was guaranteed.

When we got there late, around 6pm, there were none but a neighbor who had rented a house told us to hike around the bend over the massive black rocks, and we did. We weren’t really dressed for scaling rocks but we did it anyway.

What we saw was beautiful and amazing. 13 sea turtles basking in the sun. We got great pics and the kids were happy. We broke a sweat but it was worth it.

We highly recommend this beach. Bring tennis shoes and wear spandex for stretching. Not flip flip flops and tunic dresses. Lol!

Beautiful location! We unfortunately did not get to see turtles while we were there, but the beach was lovely none the less! The water was insanely choppy with rocky entry. I would not recommend snorkeling unless you are experienced.

Finding green sea turtles in Oahu was on my list. They are called Honu by Hawaiians. This beach is also known as Turtle Beach and is one of the best spots to find Honu. Located on the north shore, Laniakea Beach has no parking lot, but parking is available on the side of the road. It’s a busy highway but traffic does stop to let you pass. Be careful though, no crosswalk.
The beach was fairly calm and you notice right a lot of green algae color near the edge of the water. I walked up to the wAter and there was a large green sea turtle in the water 10 ft from me. Within a minute, a second turtle showed up. They floated along with the waves pushing them back and forth. I was the only person standing there watching these two magnificent Honu for at least 5 minutes! A small group of people were watching another Honu 20 yards away and quite a few people were snorkeling. Several said there was a group of sea urchins underwater and everyone was excited about that.
A volunteer there to educate and protect the sea turtles told me the sea turtles eat the green algae so she tries to keep people from walking on it. The experience was fascinating.

First and most important - there are no crosswalks from the cars to the beach. Pedestrians walking along the highway with 6 inches between elbows and traffic then crossing (with children in tow) in front of disgruntled drivers is something Laniakea Beach is MOST known for - not turtles.

Second - turtles here are not more plentiful here than other beaches on Oahu - Explore somewhere with fewer people if you want to see turtles! The 1000+ reviews here are bringing crowds that actually DETER turtles from this beach.

Finally - the traffic that is caused from cars parking at this beach is astronomical and a great reason to avoid “turtle beach” if the facts that there might not be turtles and you will need to dodge traffic are not enough for you. Leading up to the beach you can expect up to an hour of single lane traffic from both directions. Don’t even think about drinking anything - there are no bathrooms.

If you do go, remember as you cross the highway that drivers coming from both directions are seeing the first gap in an hour of standstill traffic and they are more likely to hit the gas than to stop for pedestrians or cars pulling out.

There are turtles all over the island. Dont come here. Parking is illegal. Crossing street dangerous.

A beauitful beach on the north shore that has turtles beaching themselves to sunbake. We went snorkelling there and saw about 4 turtles in the water. Not signposted so you will need to ask a local where it is.

Not worth stopping, the beach is always packed, we got horrible traffic and barely saw one turtle. Apparently in the last few years, most of the turtles have scattered and gone to more peaceful shores due to the amount of people at laniakea.

We went to this beach early in the morning but didn't see any sea turtles. I later read online that it is best to come around 11am - 2pm to see the turtles. We nevertheless had a relaxing visit at the beach and enjoyed the views. I could see how parking could be difficult but we didn't have any problems since we got there early. Around 2pm, we happened to drive by and saw that there were a few sea turtles on the beach.

We dropped by Laniakea Beach because I read that turtles can be spotted here. We were not disappointed. Although there was only 1 turtle on the beach, it was a big one and we were so glad to even see 1! There were quite a lot of people here for the turtle but no one got close since the turtle was roped off with signs to leave it alone.

There was a lifeguard on duty but the waves were pretty strong. I don't know how many people actually go swimming here during this time of year.

We stopped here four times. We passed by here several times so we stopped. Finally saw a turtle in the beach, our third try. And a few in the surf. Watched a guy recuse a blowfish from a hike. We never did anything but walk and look for turtles. Beach glass

Amazing to see these large turtles co exist on the beach sunning themselves like the sun bathers. Very cool.

The turtles are not always here. It’s a beautiful area but don’t come just for the turtles. The traffic banks up both ways to see the turtles so expect delays. No turtles day we went. Told to avoid weekends if possible as traffic worse.

If you want the chance to view sea turtles in the wild make this a stopping place. We stopped at this beech a couple different times and always saw turtles.

You can see the big turtle right in front of you and the best beach where you can swim right next to the turtle if you're lucky.
There is not much parking space, so there is a lot of waiting for parking, but when you get to the beach, all the stress goes down, and you can see a big turtle sunbathing on the beach. However, you must maintain a fixed distance.

We went looking for turtles and turtles we found. 4 in total. 1 came up on the beach and had a rest, 2 started to come in to the beach but their were too many people in their way so they swam back out and 1 swam with my family. These graceful creatures of the sea are so amazing and they really like this beach because it is easy for them to get on and off of if people don't get in their way. We found the turtle volunteers extremely helpful and loved it that they are there to help out the turtles. The turtles like the heat of the day so the best time to see a turtle on the beach is from 11:00am - 2:00pm. Enjoy and give the turtles their space.

This is THE spot for Turtles. We saw dozens and swam with some! Came back two more times! Don't come here if you won't follow the rules and respect these wonderful creatures. Usually a turtle volunteer association is on-site.

Great spot to snorkel. Shady places to sit.

On windy days, there will be many surfers here.

5. This beach was amazing for turtle viewing. We made a special trip here from Honolulu because we did not see sea turtles on any of our other excursions during our cruise around the island . it was our last day and we looked up where to find turtles and this beach popped up. It was about a forty dollar Uber drive from airport Honolulu hotel, but it was well worth it, just make sure you stop at the part of the beach where you see all the yellow barrels. That is the part of the beach where you will find the turtles. We were there around noon and saw a large massive turtles taking turns coming up on shore to eat, the moss off of the rocks. You had very close viewing of the turtles both in and out of water the area was not a good area for snorkeling to the slippery rock. However, that was what the turtles were after this made my Hawaiian vacation. I highly recommend it if you want to view sea turtles.

I honestly had no expectation of seeing a sea turtle, but lo and behold, one did come up on the beach for us to see! The snorkeling is also unbeatable here. This beach, also called Turtle Beach, is on the north shore (not to be confused with Lanikai beach on the windward (eastern shore) near Kailua. Our Google Map made it a bit hard to find, insisting we go down a private road with KEEP OUT signs when we would have been fine staying on the main road another 1/2 a mile. It is also a popular spot for surfing, evidently.

The beach felt crowded because there's not really a lot of places where you can sit comfortably with the other people hanging out watching for turtles. There were people snorkeling in the water, watching for turtles too. We spotted a couple turtles in the water, but they didn't really come ashore when we were there. It was a hot afternoon so we gave up after about half an hour. If your itinerary includes the Big Island, there's a black sand beach there that's way better for turtle watching (with not as many tourists gawking over the turtles).

We parked by the side of the road, and walked to the beach -- there isn't really a parking lot readily available.

We had a great visit at this stop to see the turtles. There was one baking in the sun and 2 swimming in the nearby water. We were nervous with the parking but found a spot. Lots of people.

It's a cool place to see some sea turtles. There were no tiger sharks and the turtles haven't been relocated to Waikiki. No car windows were smashed. Solid snorkeling and worth a stop. Traffic on the North shore is terrible after about 11a so get there early.

We really loved snorkeling at this beach. Our aim was to swim with a turtle which we succeeded at. There were also turtles out in the sun and swimming in the shallows.
It is not a big beach and parking can be difficult. Lovely conservation people there to ask questions.

I drove by and was shocked at how small the beach is and how dangerous it is to climb down to the sand. The reef is exposed so the swimming is horrible, and turtles are available to see at much safer beaches. The available sand was so crowded and people are parking across the street illegally and running across the street, bringing traffic to a crawl. A kid got hit right before covid. So dangerous. So many better beaches to go.

This is the beach to see green turtles. We lucked out and saw three on the beach. Volunteers keep them roped off so people don’t disturb them. Worth a stop!

We stopped, hoping to see a sea turtle and weren't disappointed. A large, 40 year old female was on the beach enjoying the sunshine.

A turtle guard told us about her -- the turtles' shells are distinct, like fingerprints, so they can follow their progress over the years.

Not too many people but current and very big waves
A turtle on the beach and several in the water

We made the rounds at lots of beaches, hunting the giant turtles. This beach is loaded with them. This is the reason traffic crawls between Waimea Valley and Haleiwa. Parking is a challenge, we got lucky with a spot roadside. Volunteer “turtle monitors” were present, making sure everyone kept a distance from the turtles. Some were snorkeling, most just admiring from the surf break. Amazing! 2 hr drive from Waikiki with traffic, but worth the trip. Lots of food trucks and art galleries along the way.

While we didn't see any turtles on the beach we saw a few surfing the waves as we walked the beach. This was definitely one of the prettiest days we had in North Shore and a gorgeous place to stop and enjoy the quiet beach.

Tons of traffic, and no turtles. Waste of time. Don’t go there. Turtles are in the ocean at every beach you go to. Get in the water.

Just a short bus ride from Haliewa town $3 each , lovely beach with lifeguard at some spots.
We were lucky to see and swim amongst the turtles, keeping a respectful distance

Turtles are everywhere so get your camera ready. It is also a great beach to hang out read gather sun and even do some snorkeling. The turtles do come to shore and feed or bask!

travelled here on a wednesday about 11am. Saw at least 13 turtles either on shore or "playing" just of shore. Traffic and parking can be difficult but lovely place!

Laniakea Beach, North Shore Oahu Hawaii
Great beach where you can go snorkelling and spot turtles, with lots of shade provided by trees, and has a nearby car park for convenience.
#LaniakeaBeach
#NorthShoreOahu

We visited Laniakea Beach and it was awesome even though we were only able to see one baby turtle swimming but we were there around 10am which the turtles usually come around noon to 3pm. The beautiful crystal clear turquoise water is something to see. This is a must stop for a tourist.

Beautiful beach🏝️ ,we went there for sake of turtles 🐢 and found one🥴 turtle area was restricted 🚫 in closed zone by a rope with an attentive guard who was very pleasant to talk to.It was still nice to see huge hawaiian sea turtle.The beach area is quite crowded and was difficult to find parking.

We stopped into Laniakea (Turtle) Beach on a road trip to the North Shore. I'd recommend you add a stop here to your itinerary if you're taking a road trip around Oahu.

We pulled in to the beach at around 12pm after leaving Waikiki at 8am, but made quite a few stops at picturesque locations on the way up the coastal roads. The only way we spotted the beach was because our GPS advised we'd reached the location as there is minimal signage.

We were on the wrong side of the road to easily pull in to the 'parking' available opposite the beach, so had to continue and turn around in heavy and slow traffic that was continually stopping to give way to excited tourists on their way to find turtles.

Once we had a park, we made our way across the road after a friendly local gave way to us and continued onto the beach itself. Although there were no turtles on the beach, there were dozens in the water and close to the shore and rocks. Tread carefully as the rocks near the waters edge are quite slippery, and don't step on the green mossy plankton on the rocks as this is what the turtles feed on.

The beach was busy, but we visited on the Sunday of a long weekend, so that's to be expected!

A must see stop for any road trip and allow at least an hour or so for this stop. If you're interested in snorkelling, this is a perfect location.

Came to see the turtles along this beach along North Shore. Parking is across the street but easy to cross since the traffic moves slow in this area. Parking lot has a lot of potholes. but easier than trying to locate street parking along a very busy highway. The path down to the beach wasn’t difficult but wasn’t easier either.

The beach is clean but since the current was kinda rough there’s a lot of rocks in the sand along the shoreline and where the waves hit the shore. Definitely cool to see the sea turtles. There’s a couple attendees there to help make sure everyone stays away from the turtles but you can still enjoy seeing them. There’s several signs with some rules and guidance.

When we finally decided to leave we found a much easier easier path to and from the beach further down at the end of the lot.

We went here in the morning when exploring the north part of Oahu. It’s a small and idyllic beach but the most amazing thing was that we were able to see a turtle. It was very calm and relaxed at the beach for a while before returning into the sea.
Only negative is that you need to park across the street and the traffic is actually pretty heavy.

Unfortunately, I recently picked up a mean infection swimming at laniakea. Pain, fever, really sick for a week. Evidently, stream dumps run off right there at the beach.

We took a day trip up to Laniakea expecting to snorkel and see turtles. That was not the case. This is a beautiful beach with pounding surf and lots of surf boards. A great experience, wonderful pictures, but not a swim or snorkeling spot. Worth seeing the contrast of the island beaches.

Left for 5 minutes, came back and someone had shattered all of the windows to my car. Turtles weren't even there, they were relocated to Waikiki beach!!!!

This beach is known for its turtles, but they aren't always present. We were lucky enough to see one at 3:00 in the afternoon. The volunteers on the beach make sure people do not bother the turtles and are there to answer your questions.

Parking is a challenge. I manage to back into a spot. My primary purpose for this visit was to see green turtles. Walk on paved portion till right end of beach. This area seems more accessible for the few turtles that do come up to warm up on the sand and take a nap. If you are patient and walk towards left 20 meters you will even see them swimming in making their way around. Rocks hidden in portions of sand so be careful when kneeling to take pics.

Wow! I found this place when I was researching things to do with the kids. It was definitely worth the drive and time spent there!

Go early! We arrived at 10 am which I feel was the PERFECT time to go. You have to park on a the opposite side of a BUSY road from the beach. Going early helped us to be able to find a good parking spot and not have to worry about speeding cars. You MUST keep your children close to you when crossing this road. Drivers aren’t always paying attention!!

Once you safely cross the road, you have to climb down a few rocks. Tide pools are there and the kids can explore safely. I would highly recommend water shoes here. The rocks can be slippery so be careful and prepared.

Very limited shade so make sure to wear sunblock and bring hats. I read on a blog that the best time to see the turtles is between 11 and 1. This proved true when a sea turtle came swimming up around 10:45 am. It was really awesome to see one up close. You are not allowed to touch them but you can snorkel nearby. There are people there who protect the turtles so you must be respectful and listen to them.

It starts to get busy around 10:45/11 (maybe everyone read the same blog post...haha). Leaving the parking lot becomes harder because of the increased traffic.

Be careful, have fun!

These sea turtles come to this beach to rest during their long voyages. The surf here is amazing and there are food trucks nearby

we went here around 10:30-11 am and didn't see any sea turtles but its still a beautiful beach to walk along and pick a few sea shells

We went one day at 4 p.m. and the crowds were overwhelming trying to take a picture of the turtles and bothering the ecosystem, also interrupting the traffic since people have to cross the road, very annoying. However we returned the following day at 8:30 a.m. and the beach was alone just for us, we sat with 5 turtles just watching them and taking pictures it was really relaxing so go early and avoid crowds. Parking is free across the street if you arrive late but if early you can park on the same side and no cost either.

We found this during my research of beaches to stop at on a drive around the island as we wanted to visit the north shore. We also saw that this is a great place to spot turtles as well. There is a lot of parking on the side of the street leading up to the beach, and there is also a decent size gravel lot across the street. We arrived about 30 minutes before sunset. We found a spot to just sit on the beach and watch the surfers and the sunset. We saw a sign that had an arrow for turtles and we saw a group of people all the way at the end of the beach where the rocks are. There were 3 turtles there! There is an organization there that creates a rope barrier and makes sure people keep their distance while also educating people about the turtles. Turns out they keep records of 35 different turtles that like to come up and nap on this beach, and that there’s usually at least one turtle there every day. We learned a lot about the green turtles and the organization. We had never seen a turtle like that in person before so it was super cool. We sat and watched the sunset with the turtles and it was perfect. There are some rocks over where the turtles are, but if you keep walking down, it turns into soft sand. The organization that keeps an eye on the turtles warned us that right after the sun goes down, cars get broken into so we should all probably head back. Please be sure to take your bags with you on your person, don’t leave anything that looks valuable in plain sight, and lock your doors. So please be alert and aware of your surroundings. Whenever we return, we will definitely be coming back here for a beach day.

This beach is popular for turtles, which come ashore each day. There are staff on site to ensure people do not get too close. There are a lot of buses that visit but the tourists from buses only walk on the beach, most do not swim. If you can have a swim and stay an hour or two, you will likely have a turtle pop up in the water beside you or they will walk up the beach to sunbathe.

Very lucky today I got to see group of Hawaiian Sea Turtles. Didn’t snorkeling today though to encounter them due to the swell. But if you get lucky you will see them. They come here often and to rest on the shore. Just make sure to pay respect of the rules. Keep your distance and no harassing. Volunteers are sometimes here to protect the Hawaiian Sea Turtles. So this beach is a gem. It’s also known as Turtle Beach. The only cons is that parking is limited on the street. And park at your own risk. Be sure to stay safe crossing the street.

Amazing to see the turtles. They swam right up to the beach, and ate seaweed from the hand.

We went at 1:30pm, and we saw 3 large turtles.

A must see whilst on your travels.

We went around 11am on a Sunday. Beautiful beach area but didn’t see any turtles come to shore in the 45 min we was there. We did see several in the water though which was exciting to look for. They look to be pretty big! The shores are fun to walk along, just be careful of the unexpected waves that come rushing in!

Like many visitors to the North Shore, we stopped at Turtle Beach (a.k.a. Laniakea Beach) in hopes of seeing the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, and we were not disappointed. George was basking on the sand in the warm afternoon sun. He was a sight to behold and worth the battle through traffic and tourists to see. Tips: turtles are less common in the winter because the sea swells cause turbulence, so try to time your visit for a time when the sun is shining and the seas are calm. The turtles seek the refuge of the Rocky cove on the far east side of the beach. Parking is haphazard on the inland side of the road, so watch for traffic and crossing pedestrians.

So we went to this beach probably 4 times trying to see the turtles. The beach it’s self is beautiful. The area where the turtles come up to sun them selves has volunteers that watch and protect the turtles. Once on the beach they identify them and put up signs with the names of the turtles on them and some information. The best time to go if you want to see the turtles is between 11-1pm. Parking is across the street and there is no cross walk. Getting out of the parking spots is kind of a nightmare. On the 4 th visit we did get to see a total of 4 turtles!

Nice looking beach; but crazy crowded, so we just drove right past and went to another beach-North Shore has numerous beaches to choose from.

This was the only beach I could find a parking spot while driving along the north shore. Luckily there was one big sea turtle there. It was fun.

We drove to this beach to see turtles that usually arrive around 11 am. The first time we went it was very cool temperatures and rain - there were two people watching for the turtles but told us most likely they would not come to shore due to the tempertures. We returned the next day and were not disappointed. Laniakea Beach has a small parking area which has you crossing a very busy road I would highly recommend going early and being patient if you want to see turtles.

This beach is dreamy, the colour of the water, sand and the islands in the distance!
A piece of paradise!

Every time that we come to Hawaii we visit this beach. My wife loves looking at the Turtles! We have always seen multiple turtles sunbathing. The volunteers are great as they will answer any questions that you may have about the turtles.

A very rocky and over crowded beach. Traffic and parking was so bad it took us 2 hours to move out of a 1 mile area. Very sad to see all the people scaring/disturbing the turtles away. Didn’t see any on the numerous occasions visiting. Would recommend skipping this beach or staying in Waikiki.

We had an amazing tour guide - Yannie from Hi5 Adventures who took us to a some of the the most spectacular beaches, including Laniakea Beach.

Absolutely beautiful and one of the best to spend time at.

I think my expectations were too high. Thought there were going to be hundreds of turtles. When I got there, there were about 4 of them and each one was flooded with tons of tourists around. One guy kept getting shouted out to step back, he was too close to the turtle!

I don't agree with others who said there's no parking. There is definitely parking available on the other side of the street. You just have to pay a little game of Frogger and hope for the best to get there. Overall, it was something unique to see. The turtles are HUGE! If you're spending a day in North Shore it's worth a stop. Just don't come to North Shore just for this.

My wife found this beach while we were on Oahu. The day we went there were three turtles on the beach and lots more in the water. Amazing experience!

As the day warms up you get a great chance to see the Hawaiian sea turtles emerge.
Keep your distance as it is illegal to approach these animals but a great opportunity to observe them.
We went back 3x on one day for an hour or so at a time and we're even lucky enough to see whales breaching in the distance. Lovely place.

First time we have seen sea turtles live. Only one showed up but the crowd that had gathered was thrilled. Much oohing and aahing.

We waited quite awhile but are delighted that we stayed.

Stopped twice while on vacation and only ever saw a small turtle out in the water. Previous visits to island also no luck. Better luck to others.

I wished we had the opportunity to visit, but the lack of parking is a huge issue. While I can understand why people rate it highly, I assume it's because they visited when they were able to get a parking spot. So I gave it a poor rating because the parking was an issue.

Fascinating to see such large turtles swimming in the water and coming ashore. Too bad parking is lacking, as is easier access to the beach. But once there so were the turtles. Please stay 10 feet away from them. Someone almost fell right on top of one that was on the rocks.. that turtle could have been hurt by her. It immediately went back into the water.

Have been told that you are almost guaranteed to see a sea turtle here, which was true! We saw "HiwaHiwa", sleeping / resting on the beach. there will be guides placing name cards of the turtles that surface, and also constructing boundaries so that people would not get too up-close to turtles that come up to shore. You might possibly miss this beach, as it's a small opening along the highway - look out for the crowds and cars parked opposite.

Stopped here on our last day of vacation in hopes of seeing a turtle and we were in luck! The beach was very crowded but everyone was respectful of the turtle and stayed behind the rope they had placed around it to signal 10ft.

Small American-style seaside resort as we like them. Typical Hawaiian surf style. typical wooden shops, the ocean all around and beaches with monitored and protected turtles. One of the best places on Oahu

We were on our way to sunset beach at the North Shore when we were awed by the surf/waves here and slowed down. Then we wondered why there were so many people along the trees, and cars parked. We were not intending to stop here as I didnt get to read what this place was well known for. Luckily, I saw an available parking slot.

After crossing the road, a turtle on the beach! Volunteers have cordoned off to allow the turtle some space. The volunteers even identified him/her (they havent determined the sex yet) as JP one of the turtle that frequently return to sunbathe. We stayed there for like an hour and ended NOT proceeding to sunset beach for that day.

The beach is quite rocky and as is where is,deserves only a score of 3, max. But my time was lucky with a sighting of1 turtle. Other reviews mentioned 5 turtle! On my 2nd road trip to the North Shore area, I passed by this place and there were much less people because there was no turtle on the beach.

I’ve seen more Turtles at other beaches than here. There is no parking at this beach and traffic is always really bad because people are walking across the road without a crosswalk. Don’t bother going here.

Arrive on site around 9:30 in the morning. With no traffic, I easily entered the parking lot and went down to the beach to see two Honu-sans who had already voted well, and three or four others who were eating and swimming in the sea. Other Contributions said I couldn't find them, but I was lucky to meet them soon after I arrived.
We recommend using polarized glasses for sunglasses. It looks good to spot turtles swimming in the water using polarized glass. After observing for a while, there was a traffic jam when you left the store, so please leave with plenty of time.

I have never snorkelled with so many turtles. The conservationist on the beach recommend you do not come within 10 feet of the turtles which is sensible. However sometimes in the swirling water if was difficult to maintain this. At one point I had three turtles in front of my lens. I found it quieter and better to film the turtles along the rocks to the right hand side of the beach.

About two hours drive from Honolulu, Lanaikea beach is worth visiting although you do have to deal with the traffic. Turtle viewing is the main attraction here, but the beach is beautiful, and we found the waves and the water temperature ideal. But apparently the currents can get strong here. Parking can be a little tricky, but we got lucky to find parking along the Kamehameha highway a few meters away. While the beach is not as long as Waimanalo, there is plenty of beach to walk around

Thoughly enjoyed my tour to this beach as a first time visitor to Hawaii it was a real eye opener to be told how endangered and well protected these beautiful sea creatures are in Hawaii, I enjoyed the snorkeling we did with the life guard who made sure if a turtle was near by we had to stay 6 feet away if in water and 10 feet away if the turtles were on the shore. Glad they are well protected.

Its a tourist trap. Can see turtles all over island with way less people crowding around. Stay away!

Stopped by this beach cruising the North Shore area. Lots of people crowded on the beach to see the huge sea turtles coming up on shore. Traffic is crazy in this area so if you park across the street from the beach, be careful when you cross the street. Lots of pedestrians and moving traffic during peak times. We took our pics of the turtles and left. Very cool experience to see them in action in their habitat. There was a woman who was wearing a 'Save The Turtles' shirt and a walkie talkie there observing everyone and warning tourists not to get too close to the turtles so that was cool.

Look, don't get me wrong: turtles are cool, and that's the only reason why we went there, in the first place, but if I am to rate the beach as a BEACH, it's pretty bad: the sand is large-grain and deep, the beachfront is pretty narrow, the ingress is plain horrible, laden with large rock plates covered in algae and slime (slippery), the surf is pretty strong. Oh - and there's no parking. Try to park on the shoulder if you find space.

The only visitors who might actually enjoy coming here are the turtles and the surfers.

We got to this beach about 10:30 in the morning which was a little early. The turtles are more likely to come out of the water when it warms up a bit. About 11:30 we started seeing them swimming in the surf. We watched them for a couple of hours none came onshore. We were told by the volunteers that 4 came ashore the day before. We really enjoyed watching them and highly recommend it.

1) Theres turtles at almost every beach on Oahu!
(2)It’s not “turtle beach”
It’s “laniakea” a popular surf beach!
(3)stopping here is not something that’s locals support
(4) if you stop at laniakea (turtle beach) your frustration most of the locals
(5) please respect the “Honu”(turtles) and go to other beaches to see turtles!!
(6) we thank all tourists for supporting our economy but ask you to not stop at this beach!

Aloha and Mahalo

My family and I went there and stayed for few hours swimming with turtles. We visited the beach on July and they were more than 20 turtles swimming around or just laying down
on the sand. We saw the green sea turtles with a variety of size and age. The turtle are really friendly but don't get too close to them. I really recommend to bring an waterproof camera to take pictures. The water is really clear and warm-ish. A perfect place to snorkel. The beach might not be perfect for young children because it's very slippery and they are rocks everywhere. However it's a must go it's incredible and breath taking.

There was indeed a couple turtles hanging out. It is almost like the turtles take turns hanging out under the sign that states you must stay 10 feet away. They are so large and it is great to see them in the 'wild'.

Great escape and the view was out of this world. I will definitely go back to enjoy again since I live on Oahu. I suggest a full day to take in all the sites on the north shore of oahu.

We stopped by here on the way back from the north shore. There are pylons preventing the southbound traffic from turning into the parking areas. We were lucky to find a spot in front of a house. The sand is nice and clean here. There werent any turtles on the beach this time, but lots of turtles swimming in the water. A few of them came up for air and washed up briefly by the waves. It was so fun just watching the turtles. Well worth the drive.

I could watch the waves and turtles at this beach all day. There always seem to be a sea turtle or 2 getting some sun on the beach and a few other swimming in the watch. I could sit here all day in the sun and enjoy nature all around me!

My husband and I rented a convertible and went up to the North Shore for the day....my goal to see turtles...his goal to see good surfing...we saw both at this beach. The turtles never came up on shore, but we could spot them in the water coming up for air or when a wave came and could see their underbellies. A lady was there to help protect tourist from them and to remind us to keep our distance and she also helped point them out. Great day at the beach.

A definite stop on the list . But I must say as beautiful as this place is, the parking nearby is an absolute disgrace. Huge potholes everywhere & mud. It is on a very busy stretch of the road with no pedestrian crossing, so please be very careful.
Considering the amount of tourists that visit this snorkeling beach it is disgraceful and should be repaired.
Getting back to the beautiful beach and the snorkeling- it was superb and it was awesome to see so many turtles.

Nice little beach really close to the road. There is no parking but we had no trouble finding a spot since many tourists just stop there to check out the turtles then they go. So if you have a little patience you should not have problem to find a spot.

The beach is not really big but it is very nice and we were really glad to be able to see turtles. It was a very cool experience.

I really recommend that you plan a stop there on your way to North shore. It is worth it.

Disappointed.. did not see any turtles... they were recently relocated to waikiki.. and traffic is horrendous... not worth stopping.

We hit the beach at the right time and wound up seeing a huge sea turtle! They had an awesome volunteer there to watch over the people to ensure they weren’t fools and try to ride it or something. The parking is limited and pulling out is a nightmare, but worth it to see that amazing creature!

Ruining the comfort of living for residents and visitors. Causing 5mile stand still traffic. It’s a complete cluster F.

We started driving from our hotel on Waikiki beach around 9am. After a few stops along the way, we arrived at Turtle Beach around 1pm. There were plenty of parking spots available across the street. After a short walk, we were sharing the beach with five sea turtles. As we were leaving, we spotted two more turtles in the water. This turned out to be our favorite stop of the day

We saw at lest 4 turtles in the 20 minutes we were there. Sandy beach but be careful on the rocks at the shoreline you can slip and fall. With the visit.

We went there to see those humongous Sea Turtles and it wasn’t a disappointing trip. Beside the beautiful beach, I was more impressed on those Sea Turtles resting on th beach. A nature that needs to be protected & preserved so generation can enjoy them. Highly recommended and be careful and respect their haven area🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽

This beach tends to back up traffic along Kamehameha Hwy, but if you are there at the right time, you can watch the sea turtles (honu) grabbing their dinner off the rocks. Beautiful sand and peaceful.

On our recent visit to a while he'll we wanted to see the turtles on the North Shore. There were so many cars parked along the highway so we hiked up the beach to see the two protected Turtles. Not quite sure it was worth the effort but glad we did it!
It's a lovely Scenic Beach but doesn't seem good for spending the day. Most people just stay there about 20 minutes and then left after taking photos of the turtles and the beach.

We actually stopped here when we were on the way to another beach when we spotted sea turtles on the beach. We walked down and there were two big Hawaiian green sea turtles laying on the sand, it was so cool to see! There were a few volunteers present that set up a rope to keep people from getting too close to the turtles, they were very nice and provided lots of good information and answered our questions. It sounded as if there are almost always some sea turtles on the beach, and the beach itself is very nice, so this place is definitely worth visiting!

You can see green turtles at the beach. Beach itself isn’t very great but it gets crowded because of turtles. Parking is challenging sometimes.

NO NOT travel to his beach; it has eroded the entire (1 ) road in and out of this community. The ecological destruction, degraded quality of life for residents, safety issues due to emergency access and overwhelmed local infrastructure makes this an untenable activity for any visitor who wants to respect Hawaii and professes to care for the ocean, land or marine life. If you vale ANY of these things, please STAY AWAY with INTENTION. "Stay ON the Beaten path." Hawaii is not your amusement park.

We stopped by this beach while staying on the north shore, and go the chance to see a couple turtles. We respectfully kept our distance and enjoyed seeing them in the wild.

We didn't get any on land, but did see a couple in the water! The beach is beautiful and it's a good place to visit and spend some time while you wait to see if any turtle will show up on land.

A small but delightful beach!

Although it is hard to get to the beach (you have to cross a road), once you get there, it's a sight to behold! If you wait around the shore for 10 minutes around the morning (around 10 AM was when I was there), you can probably be able to greet the turtles who come to relax on the beach.

COVID-19

- People aren't required to wear masks but most people were practicing social distancing by staying 6-feet away from other people

Hands-down, sure-fire place to see turtles on Oahu! Never fails us and we always stop here when visiting Haleiwa. This time, we were lucky enough to see several HUGE turtles on the shore, with, unfortunately, some very rude and clueless tourists invading their space. Wish someone in authority was present to cite them - a $30,000 fine would be an excellent lesson. We always park on the opposite side of the road and have never had any problems with "no parking" concerns.

More commonly known as Turtle Beach for its beach side residents. Laniakea Beach translates to “wide sky” but you will be more fixated on the turtles on the beach. While a great place to set up your beach towel and chairs but can be rough to swim in during the winter time.

The sea turtles at Turtle Beach in Oahu are truly a sight to behold. The beach itself is stunning, with golden sands and crystal-clear waters, creating the perfect backdrop for encountering these majestic creatures. Watching the sea turtles basking on the shore or gracefully gliding through the waves is an unforgettable experience. However, it’s crucial to respect the sea life—keep a safe distance, avoid touching them, and let them thrive in their natural habitat. We saw some people put their young child on the sea turtle and that is a big no-no. Best to visit during the afternoon.
A must-visit for nature lovers and ocean enthusiasts!

We heard his was a beautiful beach but hard to find parking at. We had not problem at all. We did go around 2 when some were leaving . It was a white sand beach but nothing different from any other beach

We came here late afternoon around 2pm there were turtles laying on the beach and i saw a few of them near the shore. They are amazing. Actually you could see sea turtle mostly every beaches on the island even Waikiki Beach if you’re lucky.

There are supposedly turtles but unfortunately I didn’t see any in the area. I would definitely go back just to get some sun though and to spend the day.

Turtles exist at all beaches on this island and every other Hawaiian island as well. Kindly stop clogging the only corridor through the North Shore!!! Asking for the roughly 42,000 residents that live, work, and play here - especially those of us BORN & RAISED!!!

It's bad enough that $67,000/year for a single person and $93,000/year for a family of 4 is considered VERY LOW INCOME in Hawaii. It's a whole 'nother level of infuriating when what little precious time we have with our families on the weekends, we sit IN TURTLE TRAFFIC just trying to get to family's house or a different beach on the other side of the NS!!!

We specifically went to this beach in hopes of seeing a turtle, which we did! However, the ocean is a bit dangerous for swimming. There are numerous rocks in the ocean that are VERY sharp. My husband cut his ankle badly when a wave pushed him into a rock.

Unfortunately the turtles were relocated to Waikiki Beach, there are no turtles here. Not worth stopping.

I saw four honus (green sea turtles) resting on this beach. They were surrounded by ropes so people wouldn't get too close. Unfortunately, one person walked over the rope right up to one of the turtles before others yelled at them. The volunteer had not been paying attention. Even after the volunteer seemed to notice, they didn't say anything.

Pro: green sea turtles

Cons: crowded, inattentive volunteer, difficult to find parking

Saw multiple turtles, so that made it worth the trip alone! Turtle on beach with the human guardian overseeing, plus multiple (8-10 at least in one spot alone) swimming within 6 ft of people in fairly shallow water. Beach is nice, sand does get very hot! Shoreline is rocky and irregular, making it easy to trip and fall even in the knee-deep water. Waves were strong and hard to battle, would not have wanted to go out more than about 15 ft.

We stopped here while on the North shore. It is a busy area as everyone is wanting to see the sea turtles. The turtles are part of a preserve so you can view but not touch. Parking can be sparse and you may have to walk quite a ways. I recommend to go early before 10 a.m. Or so. The beach is pretty nice as well. We didn't use it as we stayed at a cottage with its own beach access. The turtles are worth a stop if it isn't crowded and if you have never seen sea turtles before.

Crazy traffic all the time, when you try to park cars will not stop and let you cross the street so you have to dart through traffic. If there are even turtles at the beach there will be a huge crowd and volunteers rope it off and make you stand pretty far back. Honestly you can see turtles in waikiki no reason to come here.