Kaneohe Sandbar

One of the best ways to spend the day on Oahu, Hawaii is at the Kaneohe Sandbar. But how do you get there? What can you do? Today I’m sharing all the details. 

It’s no secret that one of the best ways to spend a day on Oahu is at the Kaneohe Sandbar. Unfortunately, we don’t get to go as often as we’d like, because this beautiful stretch of ocean and sand is only accessible by boat.

Kaneohe Sandbar 

We were very fortunate for awhile to have friends with a boat and they would treat us to sandbar days pretty frequently, but then they moved, which was awful, because they were awesome and our besties, but it also meant..no more sandbar. 

Kaneohe Sandbar Boat Rental 

If you are a military family, the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base offers boat rentals, which is a great program and pretty affordable. To be eligible, you have to have a valid military I.D. and take their boating safety course. Once you complete the course and do a test drive, you’re all set to rent boats.

Dane took the course and got his “license” so we can rent their assortment of boats in the 4 hour time slots (morning or afternoon) that they offer. We LOVE taking the dogs out there to swim! 

They offer a couple different types of boats and we’ve done the pontoon (be sure to say dog friendly if you’re taking pups!), as well as the smaller boats. We have enjoyed both!

Sandbar Oahu 

The weather over in Kaneohe Bay can be a crapshoot, even if you’ve been monitoring the weather apps and channels meticulously. You can probably see in some of the photos that the sky looks VERY dark, but we were still able to have beautiful, sunny weather right over the sandbar. 

Kaneohe Bay Sandbar

When we have guests visit, we try to rent one of the boats and taken them out, because it’s such a great way to spend a relaxing morning or afternoon. We always pack a cooler, snacks, drinks and floats. If you have paddle boards, the sandbar is the ideal place to practice, because it’s so flat and the water is super clear. 

Keep your eyes peeled! We’ve seen turtles, tons of fish, and even two sharks during sandbar trips! Just be sure to always keep your distance from the animals. The below was taken with a dome from a distance. 

If these photos aren’t convincing, I don’t know what more I can say 😉 One thing to note is that while I LOVE the view of drone photography, it’s legally banned at  the sandbar due to the proximity to the Marine Corps’ base and we’ve seen people get ticketed before. It’s just not worth it!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy The Military Guide To Hawaii or Sunset at Magic Island