Bellows Field Beach Park451

I've lived on Oahu for 3 years, and my favorite beach to just relax is Bellows. If you are a professional surfer or thrill seeker (!) this is probably not the beach for you. It is usually very family friendly, and is a good beach to visit for people who are beginners at dealing with the ocean. I see families out here with small children all the time. Even though this is generally a beginner and family friendly beach, don't let that fact or a large number of people make you feel too complacent; always keep your children within arms' reach, and never underestimate the ocean. Never forget that it is way bigger than you, and that potentially dangerous creatures live in it! People are surprised, especially beginners, at how powerful even small waves can be. Even small waves can knock you over, pull your feet from under you, or go over your head and come down on you, especially if you are out up to or past your waist in the water. Also you must exercise caution because there is marine life in the ocean. It is not netted off for you; it is like going into a jungle with real wild life. You often cannot see through the water, even when it is very clean, far enough to see your own feet because of the waves stirring up the sand in the water. Be cautious, aware, and step lightly when dealing with the ocean.


And this is probably a no-brainer for most people, but NEVER go near the water after sunset or in the dark. Just looking at the endless, deep darkness over the ocean at night where there are no lights for thousands of miles should be enough to creep you out. You can't see *anything*. Don't even consider going into the huge, moving, black ocean at night.


Anyway back to Bellows. Most of the people that go to Bellows are there for wading and body boarding. I fondly call Bellows "Hawaii's bathtub" because the waves are usually small and the water is normally calm (for the ocean). There is usually lots of wind. You can't always feel it from the road but once you get past the line of trees by the sand, you can feel it full blast. Sometimes you'll catch it with just a good breeze. It is very pleasant, and the sand is soft and fine (small-grained), which is nice since some of the more popular beaches like Waikiki have areas where the shoreline is rocky or has coarse sand that can hurt your feet if you aren't used to it.


However if anyone is coming to Hawaii for vacation during the winter, exercise extra caution no matter what beaches you plan to go to, since even beaches that are normally "calm" or "safe" or have "small waves" can be more dangerous during the winter time's waves and currents. Like I said, I've lived here for a while and I like swimming in the ocean, but I pretty much don't even go in the water past my waist at any beach during winter time. Better safe than sorry. There is a reason surfing competitions are held in the winter months, the winter waves can be really big! The east shores can be susceptible to dangerous waters in the winter time, and Bellows is a beach on the east (windward) side of the island. Always check out the beach conditions either with the life guard on duty (if there's no life guard, you probably shouldn't go!) and by looking at posted signs and flags, or by checking ahead of time on this website: http://oceansafety.soest.hawaii.edu/v/1.0/?i=oahu


Also parents should be aware that Bellows has Portuguese Man of War jellyfish fairly commonly, especially in late summer/fall and winter, and should be on the look out for any flags posted with jellyfish warnings.


Whether you have a body board, or like swimming on the roll of waves, or wading into deeper water, it is a good idea to NOT go out farther than people with body boards, even if you are a confident swimmer. You should be very experienced with the ocean before you go out into it that far from the shore. If you look, you will see that the great majority of people with body boards don't go out into the water past a certain distance; don't go out past that line of people. Also if you do plan to surf (if there's anything to surf on, lol) then be advised that surfing is prohibited inbetween the two lifeguard towers.


If you are non-military and are coming to Bellows on your vacation, you should know that Bellows beach is on a military station. There is both a public and a private military section of the beach.


*Rule of Thumb* Bellows is a very popular beach, usually there are plenty of people (on both public and military sides), especially on Fridays and weekends. If there are very few people, or no one (!) around, do NOT go in the water, because people are not there for a reason. Also, if you are not military and the public side of the beach seems eerily empty to you, drive up to the second gate (there are two, one to get on the public beach, and a second one further up the road to get to the military side of the beach) and ask the gate guard on duty if there are any hazards or if the beach is closed. The guards usually know if there are any big hazards going on because they have to advise the military people going through to the military side of the beach. Don't worry about not having a military ID, you can just ask your question and then turn your car around at the gate without going onto the station.


If you ARE military, I would advise using the military side of the beach; it is less crowded and somewhat cleaner than the public side. Also there are small beach-side houses that are run by the Inn/Billeting office on the station that are quite popular. They can be reserved up to 9 mos to a year ahead of time, so if you want one, make your plans early. There is also camping available (if you have a permit), permanent bbq grills next to reservable covered picnic areas, a shopette with a gas station, a play-ground slide/activity center (near the billeting/inn office building) and a paint ball field on the military side of the beach. There are also beach bathrooms and showers.


Hope this information is helpful and that you enjoy your visit/vacation/PCS/TDY/move to Oahu!