Beach Access

Sunday was a beautiful day with moderate waves and the limited parking spots along the highway were packed with cars. Everyone with a surfboard was out. At the main congregation points like Sunset Beach Park, the Dodge Neons filled with gawking tourists poked along looking for a place to pull in so they could watch the action; take a picture with waves breaking in the background. Beach access is a problem for those people who find a sticker on the inside of their trunk lid which says in large letters, “DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN THE TRUNK.” (We keep an old beater Nissan van at Bart’s. Saves the cost of a rental car and fools people into thinking we are local. We’ve got stickers too. One asks, “Have you surfed today?” in Portuguese. The other says “Eddie Would Tow” a reference to the North Shore’s famous lifeguard and big wave surfer Eddie Aikau). Beach access is easier than it appears to the casual tourist. There is, in fact, approximately one public beach access site per mile of shoreline on Oahu. The public owns the beach in Hawaii, and in most other coastal states, and has a right to get there. If you know where they are you can get to quiet spots through narrow right of ways. These are alleys that often cut through to the beach in the poshest of neighborhoods. They aren’t readily apparent driving down the highway.
Another way to get to the beach is at the big resort hotels. They don’t own the beach and you have a right to use it even if you are not a hotel guest. Turtle Bay Resort is the only hotel on the North Shore. It’s one of a handful of Oahu resorts not at Waikiki. In winter I like to swim at the little protected cove beside the hotel. It’s safe, appears clean and has a shower and restroom. It’s never crowded. As part of the master plan filed with the county Turtle Bay has to provide 24/7 public access. In addition they are required to make forty free parking places available. Plus, they have to provide the public restrooms and showers. But more trouble in paradise. Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE) Local 5 is boycotting Turtle Bay. They are mad because the new owner has spent 60 million dollars refurbishing the resort but won’t take care of the employees. We have often seen them at the entrance picketing. They aren’t upset that we go in. On the contrary, they encourage the public to use the Turtle Bay Resort public access and five miles of shoreline 24/7. But, they add, “Please do not patronize the hotel.” The new owner of the formerly rundown Turtle Bay is Oaktree Capital Management. Businessweek wrote, “Howard Marks, chairman of $20 billion vulture fund Oaktree Capital Management LLC, has no interest in gaining control of companies for the long run. He aims to earn a big payoff as fast as possible by buying the troubled loans of debt-plagued companies…. ‘We are trying to buy a dollar for 50 cents,’ says Marks, who operates from an immaculate white-marbled office overlooking downtown Los Angeles. ‘If you want cheap, you have to find it on the slag heap.’” Because of this management philosophy the union believes that Oaktree has no commitment to the community.
Because of the union and conflicts with local fishermen the resort has had the spotlight shined on its public access policy and they are very friendly when I drive up to the entrance barricade and ask for a pass.
This weekend the Senior PGA will have a tournament at Turtle Bay. “Will the public access parking spots be available during the tournament?” I asked. “Of course,” replied the gate guard. So, maybe I’ll take a swim, then watch Arnold Palmer hit a few. That’s beach access.