Ahu O Laka Sandbar on Oahu

Information about Ahu O Laka, a small islet in Kaneohe Bay on the eastern windward side of Oahu Island. The sandbar is also known by several other names including tghe Kaneohe Bay Sandbar, the Sunken Island, the Disappearing Island, and sometimes just the Kaneohe Sandbar. See also other Oahu Attractions, more about Oahu Island, and our Hawaii Travel Guide.

Facts About Ahu O Laka
ALSO KNOWN AS: Kaneohe Sandbar
TYPE OF ISLAND: Sandbar
SIZE: About 3 acres
BODY OF WATER: Kaneohe Bay
ISLAND: Oahu Island
COUNTY: Honolulu County
ISLAND GROUP: Southeast Hawaiian Islands

Ahu O Laka is a sandbar on the southwest side of the barrier reef enclosing the Kaneohe Bay Lagoon. It is about a mile long and it only becomes an island at low tide.

When to Visit Ahu O Laka
The Kabeohe Sand Bar (Ahu o Laka) only appears above the water line at high tide so when you are planning a trip need to check a tide table.

Activities at Ahu O Laka
The Ahu o Laka Sandbar in Kaneohe Bay is open to boaters and others for recreational purposes such as swimming, sunbathing, beach volleyball, diving, and picnics. It is also a popular resting place or destination for sailboats, kayakers, jet skiiers, and other boaters.

Ahu o Laka is about three acres in size and it has beautiful views of Kaneohe Bay and the Koolau Mountains. No birds nest on Ahu Laka and it has no vegetation. It is a part of a larger sand wedge that is approximately a mile long. It sits about a mile off the coast on the lagoon side of a barrier reef. Ahu o Laka on only accessible by boat and many weekends there are dozens of boats anchored by the sandbar. Many people access it by kayaking about two miles northwest from the Heeia Pier.

Behavior Problems at Ahu o Laka
There have been complaints in the past about huge concerts on the sandbar that resulted in fighting, littering, and excessive drinking. A brawl and alcohol related disorderly conduct on Ahu o Kala on September 3, 2007 caused the State of Hawaii to be pressured again to establish more restrictive rules

Ahu o Laka State Historic Monument
In March of 2006, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Water, Land, and Ocean Resources committee approved Senate Bill 2004, which established Ahu o Laka as a State of Hawaii Historic Monument. The bill directed the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources to determine and establish rules to protect and maintain the sandbar, however the state of Hawaii stated they did not intend to prevent picnics on the sandbar, only to control other activities that were harmful to the sandbar, disrespectful of the islet's historic signifigance, dangerous, or unsanitary.

Request for Ahu o Laka Safety Zone
In December 9, 2011 there was an official request to create a safety zone around Ahu o Laka with the following regulations during all three day weekends involving a state holiday: (1) No possession or consumption of alcohol or other intoxicants (2) No entering or remaining in the area while intoxicated (3) No disorerly conduct within the area.

Au o Laka Permanent Safety Zone
In 2015 the State of Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources approved a boating administrative rule amendment that mades permanent a ban on alcohol and drug use, and disorderly behavior, at the Kaneohe Sandbar, also known as Ahu O Laka, on three weekends nearest the state holidays of Memorial Day, U.S. Independence Day, and Labor Day.

Resources

- Hawaii Magazine "Kaneohe Sandbar" Article
- Hawaii Life Dot Com "Kaneohe Sandbar" Article
- To-Hawaii Dot Com "Kaneohe Sandbar" Article
- No Alcohol Ban In Effect Memorial Day Weekend 2015

More About the Kaneohe Sandbar

The Ahu o Laka Sandbar in Kaneohe Bay is open to boaters and others for recreational purposes such as swimming, sunbathing, beach volleyball, diving, and picnics. It is also a popular resting place or destination for sailboats, kayakers, jet skiiers, and other boaters. Note that Ahu o Laka only appears above the water line at high tide so when you are planning a trip there, need to check a tide table.

Ahu o Laka is about three acres in size and it has beautiful views of Kaneohe Bay and the Koolau Mountains. No birds nest on Ahu Laka and it has no vegetation. It is a part of a larger sand wedge that is approximately a mile long. It sits about a mile off the coast on the lagoon side of a barrier reef. Ahu o Laka on only accessible by boat and many weekends there are dozens of boats anchored by the sandbar. Many people access it by kayaking about two miles northwest from the Heeia Pier.

In March of 2006, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Water, Land, and Ocean Resources committee approved Senate Bill 2004, which established Ahu o Laka as a State of Hawaii Historic Monument. The bill directed the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources to determine and establish rules to protect and maintain the sandbar, however the state of Hawaii stated they did not intend to prevent picnics on the sandbar, only to control other activities that were harmful to the sandbar, disrespectful of the islet's historic signifigance, dangerous, or unsanitary. There have been complaints in the past about huge concerts on the sandbar that resulted in fighting, littering, and excessive drinking. A brawl and alcohol related disorderly conduct on Ahu o Kala on September 3, 2007 caused the State of Hawaii to be pressured again to establsish more restrictive rules

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Oahu Island Travel Guide

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