Out of the various places we could have snorkeled, including the Marriott Hotel beach, this was the best one. Limited rocks. Lots of fish. Lots of sand. Safe. Shaded beach. To get here, you take Queen's Hwy, take the Puako exit towards the ocean, make a right at the trash facility, & go down to the beach. Once you park, walk south along the beach. When you see the prominent rock island, you are in the place where snorkeling is great. Several locals recommended it & they were right. read more

This beach is somewhat a hidden gem. Everyone tends to go to its neighbor Hapuna Beach but this place is great too. If you want shade and don't have a beach umbrella, there's plenty of trees to provide you cover which my husband wanted the most. It was windy the day we came but the trees blocked most of it for us. Also don't forget your snorkel gear. Lots of opportunities along the rocks to check fish, etc. The parking lot is somewhat small but they had some overflow parking. read more

Shade, parking, facilities, sand, snorkeling, decent water conditions. Beach 69 has it all. While this place gets a lot of visitors because the name makes them curious, the reality is this is a darn fine spot to spend a few hours... or a whole day. : ) read more

Just south of Hapuna Beach, the dirt road will lead you to a large parking lot. This is a great beach to visit if you want to get away from the crowds. The water was choppy, however, so it wasn't a great place to swim or snorkel. Just enjoy the waves & relax. Note - the sand is pretty rocky (unlike the soft sand at Hapuna) so be sure to wear shoes. read more

Fun to see a black sand beach, but I would not spend the whole day there. Small and a little rockier for the kiddos.

Beautiful beach and very picturesque. I strongly recommend that if you are ever visiting the Big Island of Hawaii you have to visit Beach 69. I would say make sure you take snacks because there is nothing insight for miles. Scenery is breath taking. Loved it!!! read more

This place kinda rocks a lot. My favorite beach on all of the Big Island. But don't tell anyone. I don't want them to find out and come and take my rock-star parking. Thanks read more

Best snorkeling spot near Waikoloa. We saw two turtles and a bunch of fish near the reefs here. Plenty of shade and isolated little coves to hang out in. Great for groups. Parking is not an issue here either. read more

This is a really rocky beach. There are very limited wading areas that aren't covered with sharp jagged rocks on the bottom. Good for snorkeling I suppose but not for wading. I liked all the shaded areas. It was nice to move from the open sun to under the trees when I got hot. Overall though it was just too rocky on the bottom. read more

One of my favorite beaches in Hawaii on this island. The water is so clear and the sand is so soft. You can bring your snorkeling gears and swim out there to see the bottom for fishes. I spent almost half of my day here relaxing with the family. I suggest you guys to go buy some food and bring it there to eat as there remotely nothing nearby. read more

We've been to this beach before and enjoyed its laid back atmosphere. But this was the first time we went snorkeling and we really enjoyed it! We followed the shoreline rocks to the North and saw turtles, good fish and coral. After a short break we went back in and snorkeled the middle section of the bay around the rocks and out. Even better! Clear water , good times read more

Rockin beach! Lots of shady, decent snorkeling and just a great spot to hang out.

Went to this beach as we heard it was "au natural." Little tricky to find. $5 to park. Had bathrooms, outdoor showers, picnic tables. The view, when you get to the beach, which is a short walk from the parking lot, is like a postcard. Breathtaking! The beach itself is narrow, but long and curved, flanked by rocks and banyon trees. However, we went mid week, mid morning, and there was no nudity. Semi busy with LOTS of familes and kids. UGH. We only stayed an hour. But worth checking out. Authentic hawaii beach as it gets. read more

Great snorkelling, and a killer place to hang out!

People love Hapuna. Good. They can go there while we hang out at 69. The dressing area could be improved, lots of bees, but that doesn't take away from the copious shade, tranquil waters, excellent snorkelling and the turtle we saw. The sand is powder, thanks to all the Parrot Fish munching the abundance of coral. Very cool beach. read more

Hapuna Beach gets all attention, but I'd rather hang out on Beach 69 any day. I love the natural shade provided by the trees. And the water was so clear right along the beach that we could see lots of fish with our goggles and snorkel gear. It might not be as pretty and well-manicured as Hapuna, but that was okay by me. Beach 69 has a real charm about it that worked for me. read more

Great beach for kids to swim and for relaxing and snorkeling. Not a good boogie boarding beach there aren't any waves. Great snorkeling on right day. Busy and small beach but lots of shade if you don't mind neighbors. read more

Beach 69 - The beach - Beaches Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

Beautiful, but small beach with ample parking, good snorkeling. Like every other beach on the Big Island, get there early to find the perfect spot- we got there around 930 and had no problem finding parking or a place to lay our beach towels/chairs but it started getting crowded around noon. read more

Beautiful beach! Tons of shade trees. Low waves. Loads of picnic tables. Beaches are short so you'll always be an arms length from the waves. It was windy and wavy when we were there, so lots of kids were rope swinging into the waves and others were boogie boarding! My kids were a bit hesitant with the waves, so we just played in the sand and found a few little coves to plant ourselves in to enjoy the ocean. My dad tried to snorkel as there were a few braving the waves, but he said it was too murky. But, that's always so weather and tide dependent! Anyway, we had a great experience there and would definitely recommend. :) read more

We didn't have a good experience this year compared to last year. The two reasons were overcast weather and a very high tide. It was crowded, due to the holiday season, so everyone was camped underneath trees versus being on the beach. We left after 5 minutes as we didn't fly to Hawaii to sit under trees all day. read more

Love this beach. Great snorkeling, great sand and lots of fun trees that provide nice shade. Highly recommend this beach.

Easy to get to, has parking. Soft sand AND plenty of shade! Great snorkeling with calm waters as well, it's amazing how schools of fish hang out in the shallow waters :). read more

We loved this beach. Our teenagers had a great time. Great pics, snorkeling. A lot of shade. Very calm and safe. Would definitely go back.

We saw a gigantic uhu (parrot fish) here. Seriously 20 lbs...and it hung out for a while. Great reef for beginner snorkelers, and advanced snorkelers could venture out farther. I had little ones so we stayed close but there was still a lot to see. Start the day playing in the water at Hapuka and end it with some awesome snorkeling here! Showers, shade, and easy parking. read more

Great beach with pretty few people and some shade cover from the trees. Recommend heading here in the evening for a swim and to watch the sunset. Stunning. read more

Calm waters and plenty of shade. Rocky sand and lots of rocks on the shore. Kind of small so gets crowded fast. If you're not snorkeling I wouldn't advise spending a day here. read more

Feels like many mini beaches carved out by the pockets of tree groves. Really convenient for those who want to relax for several hours and read a book, thanks to the shade. For those who like to do some boogie boarding or surfing, there are some decent waves. Lots of tide pools to explore. On the other hand, if you are looking to lay out on a stretch of sunny, sandy beach, then there are better options out there. read more

when you pass the parking lot and reach to the beach, go 50 feet to the left. You will see a big rock in the ocean. Around the rock is fabulous for snorkeling! Although I don't recommend it for no good swimmers at all! read more

Excellent location for beach and water fun for families near Waikoloa Resort Area. Facilities are available near the bath room and outdoor shower. read more

What a beautiful beach. Hurricane Lester and Madeline are going by, this beach is still calm and clear.

A local told us about this beach & we weren't disappointed. Beautiful. Plenty of areas close to the beach to lay in the sun or shade. Many tide pools with little fish which were fun for the kids to explore. Lots of snorkeling. read more

Always one of our favorites! The snorkeling was great. There were these little organisms on the top of the water which we have yet to figure out what it was. Some thought plankton, others thought small jellies, not sure but hope to find out. The snorkeling is always awesome here and it is nice to have trees to provide shade right along the beach. read more

Beautiful! Lots of shade. Warm water. Tide pools. Fun for the whole family. I didn't want to leave.

This beach is strictly for The Adventurous. You can bring the kids and find great parking. People who are not local to the island will need to pay a small fee. Then walk down to the beach with your chairs and your ice chest and set up a little spot respectful of the people around you. Be very aware that this is nature Untamed. You cannot just expect this to be a typical Florida or California beach. There are no lifeguards for most of the year. You have to keep your wits about you. Walk over to the right from where you enter the beach area and you will find a section that's easier for children to enter. Walk straight ahead and you will need to keep your eyes open to step over the rocks and enter the water. Walk to the left and you will need to very carefully walk over quite a bit of debris to get to a place that's easy to enter. But once you do enter you will find some excellent snorkeling. Off to the left is a large area of rock that stretches out into Reef. Visibility can be quite questionable and keep your eye on the surf whatever you do. But you can see some wonderful things and this area is generally populated by much larger fish than most of the heavily populated snorkeling areas. Off to the far right there's a large Reef that can be quite shallow and you need to be prepared to snorkel way around it to get over it. But if you get out to the end of the point you will see some fascinating large fish and sometimes Turtles. You can see Jack's, eels, rarely an octopus, rarely a barracuda, and often tangs, butterflies and surgeonfish. The important thing is that you have patience and appreciation for just taking time to be here you are. This island does not reward the impatient. Spend the day here, go in and out of the water several times and you will be rewarded. If what you're looking for is more of a travel magazine type beat then get back in the car and head a little further north on the same back road and you will reach Hapuna Beach proper which has a massive parking lot and a white sand beach and absolutely no wildlife in the water to disturb your swim. Have fun! read more

We had a great snorkeling experience at these beach. There are many entry points into the beach as primary the beach is used for swimming. There's two sets of Lava rock formations about 75 yards off the shore which sits close to 20 feet deep. Here we saw an array of colorful fish and a sea turtle. Very clear water. read more

I really liked this beach, probably my favorite of the 3 we went to! Lots of shade from the trees which you can set up under but still be within 20 steps of the water, little tide pools for the kids to play in, rocks on the beach but they weren't too sharp, showers and restrooms at the parking lot edge! Pay $5 at the booth and put the paper receipt on the car dash. read more

This was my favorite beach. Very picturesque, no hotels, just beach, rock, water, and lots of shade! The family section was to the right as you approach the beach. Families tucked under trees, kids happily playing in this cove. There was a lot more space to the left, but we were too lazy to move our things once we discovered this. Some reviews said not a swimming beach, but we really swam! Head off to the right, follow the curve of the bay, and visit the arch that you see in the distance. I used my snorkel gear to patiently putter, but E swam the distance. We even found a tiny little cove just past the nudist beach (don't worry, families, your children will not see this since it is really a separate, tucked in beach not visible from the main beach/swimming area). We saw underwater arches along the way. Best snorkeling is near the arch. read more

I highly recommend this little beach over Hapuna beach next door because there is plenty of shade for everyone. The waves are small for beginner swimmers and little ones. The restrooms and showers are an added bonus. Go early as the tour buses show up in the afternoons and it gets crowded! read more

great little out of the way beach that never really gets to crowded. its my pick for going beach on my days off from work! :)