Free Your Coconuts! Break the Topless Hawaii Beaches Taboos

Hawaii is one of the most relaxing and beautiful destinations in the world, and everyone is dreaming of going there at least once in a lifetime. But because it’s illegal to sunbathe nude on the state beaches of Hawaii, some tourists find it difficult to fully take advantage of the sun. If you’re one of these tourists, then you’ve come to the right place, because here, we’re going to present you the best Hawaii beaches where you are allowed to sunbathe nude.

Free Your Coconuts
Free Your Coconuts – Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/bqRYkQ

Even if we’re talking about a state that tolerates sexuality, there have been many discussions about nude sunbaths. In the past, you weren’t even allowed to sunbathe topless because the locals were disturbed by it. Now, the topless sunbath is a very common thing on many islands of the state and it is not prohibited anymore. There are locals that are still disturbed by the fact that people are showing their intimate parts, but in the end it’s all about the tourists, isn’t it?

Rules of the Hawaii state beaches

When you choose Hawaii as a destination for your vacation, you are interested in many details, such as the prices of the hotels and restaurants, the best beaches, the nightlife etc. But, there are also tourists who are interested in more than this. Nudity has become more and more popular these days and many people embrace it as a natural thing to do when it comes to enjoying the sun and relaxing. When going on a vacation that implies sand, water, a lot of fun and sun, some people want to know if they can make nude, or at least topless, sunbaths. These are technically out of discussion on the state beaches of Hawaii, but, if you look closely, you can find beaches where nudity is not a bad thing. We will tell you all about them in order to give you an idea of where you can go and enjoy the sun at its full potential without being disturbed by the Federal Park rangers.

Sunbathing nude is not the only thing that’s prohibited on these state beaches. If you want to cool yourself with a Mai Tai or a Bloody Mary on the beach, you can also count it as illegal. You can buy from juice the ABC stores, if you really feel you can go without it. The state prohibits drinking alcohol on the beach, but it is perfectly normal to drink it if you’re in the water. So, sailing for an hour and a half with your favorite booze doesn’t sound bad at all.

Nude and topless beaches in Hawaii

  • Kehena Beach or Dolphin Beach is a black-sand beach located in the Puna district. Hidden from the curious eyes with the help of cliffs and trees, Kehena Beach encourages the desire to sunbathe naked or topless, but the swimming can be a little harsh because of the big waves and rough currents.
Kehena Beach Big Island
By Frank Schulenburg [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • Little Beach is a well-known beach that encourages you to free your spirit and do some topless or even nude sunbathing. Located in Maui, you can access it from Big Beach. Leave your car in the parking lot and walk to the northwestern part of the beach where you will see a path formed by lava. On Sundays, you can go and practice fire dancing until the evening comes and you can swim and snorkel as well.
Little Beach Maui
Little Beach Maui
  • Donkey Beach, located in Kauai, is not a beach that you can see from the road. It is well hidden and the access is made from a cane field, which is now on a private property. The previous owners allowed the access to the beach, but the new ones hired security guards to protect the beach from those in search of nude sunbathing.
Donkey Beach Kauai
Donkey Beach Kauai
  • Honokohau Harbor Beach is located on the Kona Coast, more specifically in the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. The northern part of this yellow-sand beach is a well-known gay beach. However, if you want privacy, this is not the perfect place, because there are numerous Federal Park rangers patrolling.
Honokohau Harbor Beach
Honokohau Harbor Beach – Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/7XfwWv
  • Kauapea Beach or Secret Beach is a Kauai nude beach with beautiful landscapes and yellow sand. You can practice snorkeling or you can swim, but not during the winter, because it can be very dangerous due to the big waves.
Kauapea Beach
Kauapea Beach – Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/Eo8Pk
  • Kaihalulu Beach is a red-sand beach formed in a cove, and it’s very difficult to access. You can get there by driving to the Hana Community Center and from there you will need to walk on a private property. You will find a path that will take you to the cove. Here, you can enjoy the beauty of the beach, the sun and the rather calm water.
I was here! Kaihalulu Beach
I was here! Kaihalulu Beach – Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/83vRaR

Secret Hawaii beaches for your fun

The locals preserved many of the Hawaii beaches as secret, but, in time, they became popular attractions for the tourists because everyone wanted to go somewhere new. Still, if are an adventurer, you can start searching for secluded beaches like Baldwin Beach Cove, where you can sunbathe topless without being disturbed. However, nude sunbaths are not allowed.

Baldwin Beach
Baldwin Beach – Image source: https://flic.kr/p/99MBcY

The pools at Twin Falls are also nude-friendly, and here, you can swim among other people that are comfortable being in Adam’s suit. The owners are allowing this, so you won’t need to worry about it.

The Dragon’s Teeth or the Makaluapuna Point is a secret place where you can be free without any worries. You may find some other people that discovered the secret, but you can enjoy the sun peacefully.

Nude Beaches in Hawaii
Nude Beaches in Hawaii – Image source: https://flic.kr/p/BUznxw

If you want to plan a vacation on one of Hawaii’s islands, now you know where to go if you want privacy and nude sunbathing. You also know where not to go if you don’t encourage this “free-your-spirit” kind of thing.

Whatever the case, just relax and enjoy one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet. The locals are friendly and willing to help you, the weather is perfect and the water is more than good for swimming or snorkeling. Moreover, if you want to try nude sunbathing, now you know where to go. What more could you ask for? Just don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses, and you’re good to go.

7 thoughts on “Free Your Coconuts! Break the Topless Hawaii Beaches Taboos

  • January 5, 2016 at 2:37 am
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    Topfree (topless) sunbathing for females is not illegal as female breasts are not discussed in the Hawaii law. Moreover, in 1979 a Hawaii state supreme court case State v. Crenshaw, from Diamond Head Beach on Oahu ruled topfree sunbathing was not illegal as breasts are not genitsls, which are mentioned in Hawaii law.

    In 2000 two Hawaii state supreme court cases, Hawaii v. Milford and Hawaii v. Kalama, ruled that naturists at Polo Beach aka Makaleha Beach, about a mile from Dillingham airstrip (east) were not breaking the law ad yhey were not intending to affront or alarm (offend). Nudity at STATE PARK besches is illegal as DLNR has a special administrative rule against nudity in STATE PARKS. But at other beaches this does not apply. By going to well established quiet beaches like Larsen’s and Secret on Kauai, Makalaheha (Polo) on Oahu, Little Makena on Maui, Baldwin for topfree on Maui, and Kehena Beach on Big Island you will be fine. Enjoy!

  • July 5, 2016 at 9:16 am
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    Honokohau is not nudist friendly. We do have a non landed club though.

    Updated info is included in my book American Nudist the Lost Journal, which is easy to find.

  • November 20, 2016 at 5:08 am
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    This article is outdated already and the photos are not all, if any, correct.
    That is certainly not Little Beach, there are no homes any where near, nor is it that long.
    Red Sand Beach has, yes, RED SAND. And not straight sections of beach like that.
    Donkey Beach has a concrete walking path going right to it, cane fields are long gone.
    Secret Beach is my favorite, and I don’t recognize that photo or where it could possibly be.
    I can’t speak about the others.

  • November 29, 2016 at 6:54 pm
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    The photo you say in Little beach is not Little beach at all.

  • December 13, 2016 at 2:18 pm
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    I have a question. My girlfriend wants to go to pools and be naked under a waterfall on Maui. Where go ?
    Note I can’t walk far due to back injuries.
    Thanks !

    • August 29, 2017 at 7:32 pm
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      Unfortunately, almost any place where nudity is tolerated requires a long walk. In general, you need to go far enough and remote enough to get away from crowds that would deem it offensive. This is true anywhere in the US, unless it is a private club. Your best possibility, in my estimation, would be to try and find a waterfall near the road on the way to Hana on Maui. If you go EARLY, before all the crowds have a chance to drive all the way around, you MIGHT find one to yourselves, if only for a little while, or you might have to wait a while for others to leave. Good luck.

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