Accessibility- Secret Beach Oahu

Annie Kroll
23 hours ago
3 min read

Two smiling women pose under a tree with pink hibiscus flowers; one wears a pink Hawaii cap and glasses.

While on vacation in Hawaii on Oahu, I used GoCity Pass to book three excursions. My second excursion was going to the Secret Beach, which was a short boat ride away. This week, I want to review the accessibility of Secret Beach and all of the activities available on the island.

To get to this beach, we had to drive to the drop-off spot, ride a bus to a boat dock, get on a boat, and then ride a boat to the beach. I panicked when I heard the word boat because I felt sick swimming in a rocky tide, so I took a lot of non-drowsy Dramamine. Side note, I give non-drowsy Dramamine about a B- because I was still sleepy, and it has corn starch in it for no reason. But I didn't feel sick, so it did its job. The boat ride was about 2 minutes, and then we got to the beach. While there, we were able to swim, ride a rowboat to the sand dunes, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, and take a pond tour.

Boat Accessibility

The boat was small, had stairs, and the seats did not have backs. If you are not able to stand, this tour would already exclude you. If you get seasick easily, this tour might also exclude you. It gets one point because it was not hard to navigate once in the boat. 1/5.

Bathroom Accessibility

The drop-off location had normal bathrooms, but the beach only had porta-potties and changing rooms. The changing rooms were nice. Portapotties are never nice. 3/5.

Sand Dune Rowboat

The rowboat was narrow and could seat one person per seat. I had to help row out to the sand dunes. I technically helped, but I have no idea how well. Once I got out of the boat and onto the sand dunes, I could paddle around. For all the activities you had to wear a life jacket, but if you can swim you did not need one. I didn't see much, but it was fun to be in a new location. My row boat won, but I don't think I was much help. All instructions were verbal and were easy enough for me to follow. 3/5 because I did it, but disability was not centered.

Kayak

I sat in the front of the kayak, and my friend sat in the back. Fun fact about me- I am terrible at any sort of rowing. So for about 90% of the adventure, I sat in the front and smiled to myself about the view while my best friend did most of the work. While I sat there, I did some self-reiki, chatted, looked at the mountains, and laughed at jokes. So, because of who I was with, 5/5 accessibility. If I had to do this myself, maybe 2/5, because rowing is hard and you need to be able to get in and out of the boat.

Paddle board

So for every reason having a friend you trust is great for kayaking, maybe do your own paddle board. We tried to have two people on a paddleboard designed for one person, so I fell off a lot. If I am by myself, I don't usually fall. But it is fun to have someone with you, and quite humbling. I have bad balance and struggle with my core, but I have been working on this since I got out of the hospital, so I wasn't terrible. I will give it a 3/5 because, as long as you have leg movement, I believe those you bring with you can help you, even if you stay seated.

Pond Tour

We got this tour privately because no one else signed up. I could hear because I was sitting right next to the person giving the tour, but if you are hard of hearing or D/deaf then this tour might not be ideal for you. I got to pet a jellyfish, which was my highlight. I stopped paying attention after the animal portion was done and took pictures of me looking out of the boat, but that's because I like animals a lot more than I like movies. Others might feel differently. 3/5.

Overall

Annie stands in front of a green tree wearing a pink shirt, blue shorts, and pink hat.

Overall, I give the Secret Beach a 3/5. I could enjoy all of the activities, but someone in a full-time wheelchair, who is deaf, or who is blind, is not inherently included. While food was offered for an additional cost, none of it was within my diet. It was very fun, and I didn't experience any barriers, but I didn't feel particularly thought about or accommodated either.

Thank you for reading about the accessibility at the Secret Beach on Oahu. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!