Keonenui Beach

Keonenui Beach is a small sandy beach in a crescent-shaped cove on West Maui, along the shoreline fronting the Kahana Sunset condominiums. It is also called Yabui Beach, and the name Keonenui is glossed as “the big sand.” Keep it as a short shoreline stop, not a full-service beach day: the cove is the draw, while public facilities and parking have not been verified.

A roughly 250-foot public path and stairs are documented at the south end of the Kahana Sunset property, reached from Lower Honoapiʻilani Road. The entrance is gated, and its current status has not been confirmed, so check access before making a special trip. Use the public path only; do not cross resort grounds or rely on guest parking or facilities.

The bay is used for snorkeling, though visibility can turn cloudy. Turtles are reported here, but sightings are not guaranteed. Winter surf can narrow the beach, and erosion has affected the shoreline beside the resort, so the amount of sand changes. From the sand, look along the shore to show the cove’s curve instead of pointing straight across the water. No current sea conditions were established, so treat swimming and snorkeling as conditions-dependent.

Local accounts describe hukilau net fishing, with families sharing the catch, and gathering limu, pipipi, kupeʻe, and sand crabs along this coast. Those accounts also point to artifacts as possible evidence of a fishing village here, though that history is not established as fact.