What with all the fuss about Puna becoming the up and coming low-key vacation locale in the islands, it's time to revisit the black sends of Kehena. This one of the only swimming beaches on the Puna Coast of the Big Island, a region battered by large waves and strong currents. When the waves are big and conditinos are bad, swimming at Kehena is very risky. When locals are swimming en masse, its probably safe. Spinner dolphin pods do come in to Kehena Bay, and swimming with (but not touching) them is a prized local treasure. Snorkeling at Kehena is not great due to the lack of developed reefs. There are no lifeguards here and if you get in trouble you are hours away from the nearest hospital (with the exception of a ride in a helicopter). Kehena is also clothing optional. Not that this is legal -- nude sunbathing is proscribed in the islands.

But hey, Puna is pretty much the Wild West of Hawaii and down here anything goes and no one is gonna say anything. If you keep your suit on, that's fine, too. There are some shade palms fringing this beach, a nice respite from the often sticky heat down in the Puna District. Kehena is pretty much undeveloped, save for a few vacation houses and the nearby Kalani Honua eco-retreat (which hardly counts as development). There aren't any restaurants nearby so bring your own grub (or cough up big bucks to eat at Kalani Honua). Sunday nights is apparently a community drum night at the beach, a hippy fave. I've never been down for that myself but some people like it. On Sundays the beach can get a wee bit crowded and parking in the small lot off Red Road can get tight. Also, access to this beach is down a cliffside trail that is fairly passable but not really friendly for very small kids or older folks (and definitely not wheelchair accessable). Home-grown local vendors sometimes cruise the beach with cold fruits and the like. Also, you may pass some roadside honor stands down this way with lucious, ripe tropical fruits on offer. These are often some of the best fruits to be had so I highly reccomend stopping and picking some up.

Related Posts: Hale Balleja, Hale 'Ohai

—Alex, 04/22/07