7 Big Island beaches ranked by days advisory-free in the last 30 days, using Hawaii DOH advisory records. Kohala Coast, Kona Coast, and Hilo side compared.
Anaehoomalu Bay (A-Bay) leads with 19/30 days advisory-free in this tracked sample. This is recorded advisory history, not a current water measurement.
Every Hawaii Department of Health advisory is a public record — Beach Advisories are issued when bacteria levels at a monitoring station exceed the EPA recreational threshold of 130 CFU/100 mL enterococcus, and Brown Water Advisories are issued when storm runoff makes coastal water visibly turbid.
We count the number of days each beach has been under any DOH advisory in the last 30 days. Fewer days under advisory means a higher rank. When a DOH advisory is island-wide (“Brown Water Advisory, Island of Big Island”), every monitored beach on that island is counted as under advisory for those days. When an advisory is station-specific, only the matching beach is counted.
The ranking measures water quality exposure only — days under advisory. It is not a complete swim decision. A beach can rank high here but still have strong currents, shore break, rip currents, or no lifeguards. Always check the individual beach page for physical-hazard information and live DOH status before you swim.
Compare the tracked Kohala, Kona and Hilo-side beaches in the table. Climate and geography do not establish today’s water quality; current DOH advisories apply wherever their stated scope covers.
Check current DOH notices, posted signs and local conditions before entering the water. Historical rankings do not override an active advisory.
Related beach histories and guides: Hapuna, Mauna Kea Beach, Anaehoomalu Bay (A-Bay), Spencer, Hawaii cesspool guide, Magic Sands, Kahalu'u, Honoli'i, live BWA status.
This ranking is built from:
Every beach in this ranking has its own page with the 30-day daily-bar chart showing exactly which days were under which kind of advisory, plus live DOH status. Click the beach name to see its full history.
Anaehoomalu Bay (A-Bay) is the top-ranked tracked beach in this table, with 19/30 days advisory-free. This compares recorded advisory days among tracked beaches; it does not establish current water quality or explain the causes of a beach’s advisory history.
No. This table compares only the tracked Big Island beaches in its 30-day data window. It does not establish a national ranking, zero runoff, or freedom from wastewater contamination.
No. This ranking compares days under posted Hawaii DOH advisories in a tracked sample; it does not directly measure all bacteria conditions or swimming safety. A beach can rank high here but still have physical hazards like strong currents, shore break, rip currents, or no lifeguards. Always check current DOH advisories and local surf/current conditions before entering the water.
The table shows recorded advisory-day differences among the tracked Kohala, Kona and Hilo-side beaches. Those counts do not establish why a difference occurred or exempt any coast from current DOH advisories. Check the specific beach before visiting.