Honokea West brings world class recreational and sporting facilities to Hawaiʻi. Located in Kalaeloa, on Oʻahu’s west shore, Honokea West is a place grounded in Native Hawaiian culture and values, providing a variety of surfing and non-surfing experiences for the whole family.
A new breed of high performance wave pool facilities are bringing real waves to new places across the globe. Honokea West will be the first of this caliber in Hawaiʻi - the birthplace of surfing, providing access for Hawaiʻi’s athletes to train and compete at an international level year round. The facility will be equipped to house future Olympic training in other sports as well, including rock climbing, beach volleyball, skateboarding and more. The facilities will cater not only to elite athletes, but bring wellness, fitness, and life saving training to people of all ages, keiki to kūpuna.
Honokea West is a local developer and operator, led by co-founder and president Brian Keaulana. Honokea’s project team members are all keiki o ka ʻāina - from Hawaiʻi.
MISSION
Honokea strives to strengthen communities by building recreational developments that inspire healthy living while celebrating Hawaiʻi’s contributions to surfing and commitment to water safety. This vision is derived from the Keaulana way of life and kuleana (responsibility) to the ʻāina and kai (land and sea).
We believe that Hawai’i should be a hub of athletic talent, of surfing and other sports as well, by focusing on the underlying values that underpin Hawaiian Culture. Brian has dedicated his life to innovation and sharing of knowledge for everyone’s benefit. As a pioneer, visionary, and entrepreneur, Brian has revolutionized paddle sports, water safety techniques, big wave surfing, and even how our nation’s elite military units are trained. This project will serve as a physical home base and classroom for all of Brian’s knowledge and teachings.
a world class facility
Honokea West will be a place that combines cultural education with skill-based recreation to enhance the visitor experience. At the heart of Honokea West will be a surf lagoon, designed by Wavegarden, for athletic training, surf recreation, and film production.
Honokea West will also include:
Areas for Hawaiian cultural practices, immersion and education, such as lo‘i and limu harvesting, a native plant garden and historical exhibits that share the history of Kalaeloa and Hawaiʻi’s surfing culture.
Non-surfing recreation components such as an adventure lagoon with overwater rock climbing, a skate park, sand volleyball courts, spaces for exercise and play areas for kids. These world class facilities will offer training opportunities for approximately 8 additional Olympic sports.
Various food and beverage outlets will be available throughout the park, showcasing locally sourced ingredients and focusing on healthy eating. Each venue will offer unique views of the surrounding activities.
An aquatic film studio and filming areas to support and attract local, national, and international film projects.
A surfboard and fin design & testing facility, making a critical site for innovation and progression in the sport. It will serve as a place to uplift the local surf industry in the shaping of boards and equipment for wave pool competitions and wave pool riders around the world.
Once completed, Honokea West will employ up to 200 full time employees. An estimated annual attendance of 300,000 to 400,000 people are expected and the project will have approximately 400 parking spaces to accommodate visitors.
Honokea West will be built with state of the art renewable energy technology that meets the standards for Hawaiʻi’s renewable energy mandates. Honokea signed a $20M Power Purchase Agreement with Holu Hou Energy in 2022 to ensure the project is carbon neutral.
Honokea will implement water conservation measures to reduce water demand to about 30-40% of a typical water park. Water conservation measures may result in a 30% reduction of domestic, pool and irrigation water demand, and 50% re-use of wastewater.
a sustainable facility
about the site
The Honokea West project will meet the objectives of the Kalaeloa Master Plan (KMP) by incorporating environmentally compatible recreational space that protects open space and provides recreational opportunities within the Kalaeloa Community Development District. The project fulfills the KMP section 3.2.3 - technology, research and development.
The site was selected based on its proximity to the West Side of Oʻahu to provide a recreational and economic boost to the coast. The project will be built on 19.4 acres of land, which is controlled by Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority (HCDA). Honokea Kalaeloa, LLC will be a lessee.
Kalaeloa Heritage Park lies immediately south/makai of the Project Area, which is approximately located along the western edge of Coral Sea Road and Franklin D. Roosevelt - immediately adjacent to the east of Runway 22 L of the Kalaeloa Airport. The parcel is located on former lands of Barbers Point Naval Air Station and is currently under the ownership and authority of the HCDA.
In January 2022, a natural resources study of flora and fauna was done by local Environmental Consulting firm AECOS. The parcel currently features a forest of kiawe and koa haole trees. Native species found included koali‘ai, kūpala, ‘ilima puakea, ‘ilima, and ‘uhaloa. Kauna‘oa pehu and noni were present as well. No plant or animal species protected or proposed for protection by federal or state endangered species programs were found on site. While ʻAkoko is an endemic shrub found in the Kalaeloa region, no plants were found during the natural resources study. The project team is actively engaged in partnership discussions with Hui Kū Maoli Ola and the Kalaeloa Heritage Park to utilize Native plants throughout the project.
endemic species
archaeological reconnaissance
An Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey of the project parcel was conducted in December 2021. A total of 17 archaeological sites were identified on the property. Majority were related to military uses, although two sites were possible pre-contact C-shaped structures and three were sinkholes with stacked coral or coral mounds. Discussion with State of Hawaiʻi Historic Preservation Division (SHHPD) is on-going, and additional testing will be conducted to ensure resources are appropriately evaluated for historic significance, and preserved and mitigated as required.
The project will not impact any significant archaeological sites, and an appropriate buffer will be implemented as a part of the design to protect any significant sites. In the event that historic or traditional cultural properties are encountered during construction, work in the project area will cease until SHHPD is notified, and appropriate protocols are carried out.
These photos from 1951 shows roads and buildings on the project site, which was used as a stationary aircraft engine test site for Barber's Point Naval Air Station. In 1999, the Navy closed the base and transferred the land back to the State of Hawaiʻi. The adjacent runways are now the Kalaeloa Airport.
