Waikoloa Beach — a beach in Hawaii County, Hawaii — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 10.6 km (6.6 mi) WSW of Waikoloa.
Waikoloa Beach is an area located on the South Kohala coast on the island of Hawaii and is located in the census-designated place of Puako. It can be confused for Waikoloa Village, a CDP in the same "ahupuaʻa" and is also known as "Waikoloa". The area is home to many notable cultural and geologic features of the ancient Hawaiian culture including aquaculture fishponds, anchialine ponds and petroglyphs.From the Wikipedia article “Waikoloa Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Waikoloa Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 65° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 295° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 86° in summer but only 47° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:28 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 270° W | 70° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 65° ENE | 7:06 PM | 295° WNW | 86° | 13h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:13 AM | 89° E | 6:21 PM | 271° W | 70° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:55 AM | 115° ESE | 5:50 PM | 245° WSW | 47° | 10h 55m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 03m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 30m |
| March | 6:11 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 6:56 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 36m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:17 PM | 13h 05m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:29 PM | 13h 20m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:31 PM | 13h 13m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 49m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:49 PM | 12h 16m |
| October | 5:57 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:23 PM | 11h 42m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:08 PM | 11h 12m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 56m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Waikoloa Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 41° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| February | 4:08 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.5 | 27° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:17 AM – 5:17 AM | 3.0 | 38° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:18 AM – 4:48 AM | 4.5 | 41° | SE → S |
| May | 10:14 PM – 4:24 AM | 6.2 | 41° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:29 PM – 4:19 AM | 7.8 | 41° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:30 PM – 2:50 AM | 6.3 | 41° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:11 PM – 12:51 AM | 4.7 | 41° | S → SW |
| September | 7:42 PM – 10:52 PM | 3.2 | 38° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:15 PM – 8:45 PM | 1.5 | 27° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.7 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show January as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (62%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 77 | 78 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 76 |
| Low °F | 50 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 53 | 50 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.6 | 6.6 | 8.6 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 6.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Kawaihae, 14.8 km (9.2 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Waikoloa Beach, closest first.
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State ParkWaterfall
Volcano
VolcanoFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Waikoloa Beach?
What time is golden hour at Waikoloa Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Waikoloa Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Waikoloa Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Waikoloa Beach?
How far is Waikoloa Beach from Waikoloa?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.