Found a black sand beach without needing reservations and driving 2 hours away from Grand Wailea. Few people around, fantastic snorkeling spot with fish everywhere (saw 2 snorkel boats nearby), tide pools and spotted a turtle close to shore. We even got to swim with the turtle up close for a bit, of course no touching. The shore is very rocky, so be sure to wear water shoes. While the sand is quite soft, we had a nicer time bringing chairs with us. Don't bother bringing a body board as it was way too rocky for that. For snorkelers, I recommend the south end of the beach by the rock wall. As soon as we got in, we saw fish everywhere to the left. If you go around the rock formations, that's where the tour boats took us last time we snorkeled with Redline Rafting, and we actually spotted them there again. So it's a great spot for snorkeling, although a bit more challenging with a rocky shore entry but just be careful, go slow and should be fine. I did it with my 9 year old and we had a great time. Definitely watch where you step because there are sea urchins the further out you go. It's quite a remote spot with no bathrooms or showers. Be sure to use the bathroom before you go, or the ocean is your bathroom as they say. The turnoff is a dirt road, a bit bumpy, but if you go slow you'll be fine. Although the lot is small, we found parking easily at 9:30am. We're happy we found this hidden gem away from the crowds, saw black sand, saw lots of fish and got to swim with a turtle! read more

Oneuli Beach - You can see Molokini crater to the right! - Beaches Near Me - Makena, Hawaii

See all

Beautiful beach in Makenna. I love that i'm able to enjoy a black sand beach without driving 2hrs to Hana. Its never packed which is great for an uninterrupted view and the water isn't too deep so its great for people that are uncomfortable swimming in open water. I do recommend water shoes since there are rocks in the water. read more

Oneuli Beach - Beaches Near Me - Makena, Hawaii

See all

One of the checklist items for visiting Hawaii: see a black sand beach. We missed out on the opportunity when we were on the big island, so we had to make it a point to see one on Maui. We were able to find a couple through google searches, but the "best" one was way out by Hana at Waianapanapa State Park. If you're familiar with the Road to Hana, it's not something you do on a whim. But then we found Oneuli Beach, less than 4 miles from the Grand Wailea where we were staying. This beach is perfect. It's not very big, but it's sufficiently out of the way and sufficiently hard to find, so that in my two visits here, I only ever saw a total of about 6 people. My first visit was in the early evening, and I saw two other cars in the parking area when I arrived. One was on its way out, and the other left 15 minutes after that. My second visit was in the morning, at which point it was me and one other guy (who seemed to be out looking for shells or something). The sand isn't completely black here, certainly not as black as the beach at Waianapanapa State Park. It's a mix of black and red sand, which seems to be heavier on the black sand towards the south end of the beach and heavier on the red sand towards the north end. The south end has a large rock formation jutting out into the water. If you want the best pictures of the beach, early afternoon may be the best time to go. In the evening (my first visit) the sun was still out in force bringing out the impossibly perfect blue of the water, but it was low enough in the sky to get in the way of taking pictures of the rock formations. In the morning, the sun is not high enough for the water to reach its full beauty. If only I had another day, I would have gone back in the afternoon. read more

Oneuli Beach - Beaches Near Me - Makena, Hawaii

Very quiet beach(barely anyone there), the sand is more of a dark gray, be careful walking on the rocks (i have a cut on my foot), beautiful view, and shells to pick up if you're interested in that. WARNING: The road to get there is very bumpy and rugged, be careful and slow while driving. This is not a beach to party at though, be respectful. :)) read more

See all

This place is a little hide away the view is beautiful. Only thing is the waves were kinda crazy so you couldn't get in and just swim,however still a gorgeous little spot to go and get a tan :) read more

See all

The place is a little dangerous . My daughter stepped on a sea urchin and got 21 needles in her foot rocks will also roll up and hit your feet please wear sandals. The sand was warmer than makenas because of the color of the sand . There is only parking for 7 cars and you need to drive on a dirt road that is very bumpy read more

Thanks to Michael K., my unofficial Maui Tour Guide, I got to visit Oneuli Beach several times during my stay in Maui. Following his directions, I found it easily, and took the very bumpy road (sorry rental car company) to the small parking area. We were sure the beach would be secluded, especially after our motion sickness inducing drive in (I managed to hit every bump/rut/hole possible) but when we arrived, we saw several flags in the water from scuba divers nearby, and a few people sunning themselves on the beach. I was initially confused, because Michael described this as a red sand beach, and the sign said it was a black sand beach, and with my sunglasses on, it didn't look like either. Taking them off, I ran my hands through the sand, and saw that it is made up of black, red and white sand. It's really, really beautiful. The cliffs off to the South are bright red and gorgeous. After our short visit, we told my relatives and friends about this spot, and ended up taking several groups here to enjoy. Thanks Michael! Just follow Michael K's easy directions to find this beautiful spot. Well worth a trip to South Maui or a nice stop before/after Big Beach. I uploaded a picture of the sign so you know what to look for! read more

See all

Also referred to as "red sand beach" on the free driving maps available at tourist kiosks. Stil a cool little beach, but the access road has deteriorated considerably. It's now so rutted, that it is barely passable with a regular car. Better to come by Jeep, or on foot. read more

The drive down is pretty hard if you're not renting a jeep. We had a little fun off roading! The sand isn't super black it's a mixture of red, brown and black. Water does look phenomenal against the darker sand tho! We saw tiny crabs on the beach too the burry in tiny holes!!! Will stop here again next time for more photos read more

Oneuli Beach - Beaches Near Me - Makena, Hawaii

Pretty beach. Sand seems to be a mixture of black and red with lots of shells and small pieces of driftwood. The cliffs on the left side of the beach are gorgeous. The dirt access road is marked which I was happy to see. It is a bumpy, rocky road to access, but I drove it in a sedan, so it's not terribly bad-just take it slow and you'll be fine. There were about 20 or so people when I was there in the late afternoon. Some were sunbathing and others were fishing. Waves are too big for young children. The only facility is a portapotty. I'd visit again. read more

Paradise !!! Beautiful location, peaceful. Bring a chair or a blanket and just chill. Or walk around and check out the park right behind you. read more

See all

I love this beach! Definitely not a good beach if you are looking to relax in the water! Great diving spot once you get over the shallow reef and rocks! The black sand is fun to have in wailea!! Usually very quiet not a lot of people gather at this spot, super peaceful. Again great place to dive!!! Love love!! read more

Intimate black sand beach near Wailea with good snorkeling off the coast...perfect for beginners. There is a food truck or two on the way. Sparse parking but usually not crowded..little ones will enjoy looking for rocks and shells..Not difficult to get to. read more

I didn't really like this beach so much, the sand is dark and not as nice as on some of the other beaches. Also, there seemed to be quite a few sea urchins in the water. read more

I'm giving this beach 3 stars not because it isn't beautiful but I visited the black sand beach along Hana road as well as the red sand beach first and this doesn't compare to the beauty of those. Perhaps if I had visited this beach first it wouldn't have been a let down. If you don't have the time to see the black sand beach along Hana then this is a good alternative. The sand here is actually a mixture of black, red, and white. Not many people here so if you are looking for a more secluded beach this is good, however it's not the best for sunbathing/swimming. The water here looked rough and being a strong swimmer I would not have felt comfortable going out very far. There are a lot of sand crabs here. Over by the red rocks on the south end of the beach (where the sign says danger falling rocks) I saw a lot of crabs sunning on the rocks. Also makes for some pretty pictures over there. I went in the early morning and if I could go back I would go in afternoon to get better pictures due to location of sunlight. read more

A great, secluded little black sand beach off the beaten path that isn't as far as Hana from Lahaina. The black sand contrasts so beautifully against the white pieces of coral and shells that wash up on the shore. It's not as soft as white sand, but so beautiful and we really enjoyed the fact that we were practically the only ones there. Just lovely and worth the drive from the west side of the island. read more

It looks gorgeous but there are rocks that will hit you in the surf and the floor is made of rock. That isn't bad but it is very slippery and can be dangerous. There is also a big drop off that goes down pretty far. Right before the drop off there are a lot of sea urchins. They are very dangerous and my entire family got cuts on their feet and legs. If you still want to go I would recommend water shoes and to be very careful. read more

Small off-the-beaten path beach with super cool looking sand, mix of colors including black. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a family beach for swimming due to the lack of bathrooms and crummy dirt road access, but the scenery is amazing. read more

Here is a comprehensive article with Google maps: http://mauiguidebook.com/beaches/oneuli-black-sand-beach-naupaka/

Magical. Remote. The best part was actually the beautiful lush forest to the right of the beach as you look at the ocean.

Beautiful secluded black sand beach!! The stars at night are amazing! There are not any facilities though.