Kiholo Bay is located on the Big Island and this beach has a little bit of everything: beautiful sights, fascinating wildlife, tide pools, ancient ponds and rock formations. You can also enjoy a mini-island that is made from lava rocks and it is located right at the heart of the bay.
The bay itself consists of a mix of fresh and salt water, surrounded by dark lava rocks and a usually calm lagoon. The lagoon is a great spot for swimming and snorkeling, since the water in it is usually calm compared to the rest of the bay. This bay used to be a Hawaiian fishpond in the 1800s and it was built by King Kamehameha I. Its boundaries were 2 miles (3.2 km) long and its rock walls were 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 20 feet (6 m) wide. A lava flow reached Kiholo Bay during 1959 and destroyed the southern portion of the ancient fishpond and created the lagoon you see today.
Wainanali'i Pond can be found at the northern end of the bay, which is connected to the ocean via a man-made channel. It is located on private property and therefore not accessible. Bordering Kiholo Bay to the south is Luahinewai Pond, a freshwater pool that's surrounded by coconut palms and lush vegetation.