Pupukea Tide Pools

For the first time we took the boys to the Pupukea Tide Pools to do some exploring.

We arrived at Pupukea at 9am, which was the perfect time, because the few sandy areas available to put a beach blanket down were unoccupied.  Within the next 15 minutes, more and more people came, and soon people were leaving their belongings on rocks or the grass on the hill, simply because there was no room near the shore.

The walk down to the shore is pretty easy, but quite rocky.

It's a rocky walk down to the shore!

The boys immediately went exploring (after putting sunscreen on, of course).

We saw all sorts of sea creatures - crabs, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and lots of fish, including our state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua`a.

We saw so many different types of fish!

Sea cucumber

Humuhumunukunukuapua`a

The kids loved exploring.  We all wore water shoes, and it was still a bit slippery at times walking on the rocks, but the shoes helped to protect our feet from the rough, and sometimes sharp rocks.

Although the tide rose a bit while we were at the tide pools, the kids had no problems wading through the entire area.

The water was so calm that people were able to float on rafts and play with toys in the shallow areas.

It was a gorgeous day.  The sun was out, the water was clear, and the sea life abundant.

Restroom and shower facilities are available.

View from the restroom / showers

Pupukea Tide Pools
59-727 Kamehameha Hwy

Haleiwa, HI 96712