Big Trouble at Little Beach

Added: 10/28/2006

Little Beach is one of the nude beaches in Hawaii that is clothing optional. Some Native Hawaiians argue they are becoming very offended by those individuals who show themselves off in public. On the other side of the coin is the committee to keep nude sunbathing on the beach (Friends of Little Beach). To get to the nude beach, you need to park in the parking lot of Big Beach and take the S-mile pathway to Little Beach.

On the southwest side of the Hawaiian Island of Maui, there exists a 165-acre state park called Makena State Park. Within this state park is a very beautiful white-sand beach park, commonly called Big Beach, which attracts up to 1000 people each day. On the other side of Big Beach, divided by a rocky bluff is a small 100-yard shoreline, known as Little Beach. Little Beach is one of the nude beaches in Hawaii that is clothing optional. However, there is a group of citizenry on Maui that would very much like to ban nude sunbathing altogether.

The state is working on plans to update and modernize the park. Bathrooms, a caretaker’s cottage, and camping areas are all a part of the master plan. The main problem that arises from these plans is what to do with the nude sunbathers at Little Beach. Some Native Hawaiians argue they are becoming very offended by those individuals who show themselves off in public. They also state they are staying away from the beach just because the nude sunbathers are there. Nonetheless, there are two sides to every story.

On the other side of the coin is the committee to keep nude sunbathing on the beach (Friends of Little Beach). This committee argues that the clothing optional option is there for those not wishing to display their birthday suits (go nude). The other argument is there are other places on the beach where nude sunbathers do not go. The 250 member Friends of Little Beach also argue that this nude beach not only has a worldwide reputation, but it is also ranked as one of the best nude beaches in the world. In addition, as one of the nude beaches in Hawaii, Little Beach is argued to be very important to the economy of Maui.

Technically, having nude beaches in Hawaii state parks is illegal. However, there have been no citations given out to nude sunbathers since the 1980s. Even so, there are still some members on the committee to update the park that would like to reach a compromise with the nude sunbathers on Little Beach. One of the suggestions is to allow nude sunbathing during certain hours on certain days of the week.

Little Beach is not accessible from the road. To get to the nude beach, you need to park in the parking lot of Big Beach and take the Ѕ-mile pathway to Little Beach. For those of you visiting this beach for the first time, there are some suggestions on what items to bring. You may want to bring these items in a backpack because you may want one hand free to climb over the lava rock.

Items to put in your backpack should maybe include the following:
* Water - there are no amenities on the beach
* Sun block - the sun can be very intense
* Towel or blanket - the fine sand will stick quite easily to your wet or oiled up skin
* Sunglasses, reading material, food, etc.
* Footwear - the lava rocks can be very hot as you make your way to Little Beach
* Valuables from cars - theft is common, so take your valuables with you.

All those involved realize that the issue of nude sunbathing will have to be dealt with eventually. Those same people also agree that the attorney general will need to start addressing all the legal issues before any final decisions are handed down. One regular visitor to Little Beach stated that even if there is a ban put on nude sunbathing, it might be a challenge, or even an impossibility to enforce that ban completely. Nude sunbathing on Little Beach may just be here to stay.

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