Oahu Beaches

Oahu is the third biggest island in Hawaii and has 139 beaches to choose from! It has a great variety of beach types, ranging from more secluded ones to others with lots of people and beach activities.

The most famous beach is Waikiki Beach and it is actually made up of five smaller beaches, forming together a two mile long strip of white sand located on Oahu’s south shore. Along the beach you will find lots of hotels and tourist facilities. It’s perfect for people watching, swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, catamaran and outrigger canoe rides. This is the beach where most tourists go.

If you are looking for something more secluded, there are other beaches that you’ll probably prefer. Kualoa Regional Park is situated on the east coast of Oahu and is perfect if you want a enjoy a relaxing day at the beach. It has a stunning location with the Kualoa Mountains in the background and the water here is calm and warm.

Kalama Beach is situated at the south east coast and this area is renowned to have the most beautiful beaches in the whole United States. The water is pretty calm and relaxed here even though it’s possible to do some beginners surfing and bodysurfing at times. This is a relaxed beach with some service facilities but still not over populated.

If you are looking for good surfing beaches, head north. This is where you have the biggest waves in the winter months. Chuns Reef is a sandy and rocky beach for the experienced surfer with consistently large and powerful waves. In the summer months, when the water is calmer, it’s a great beach for snorkeling and swimming. It’s a secluded beach without service facilities.

If you’re looking for a more built up beach but still want big waves, you might prefer Ehukai Beach Park that’s situated just to the east of Chuns Reef. When the surf is pounding, this beautiful North Shore beach can be the most spectacular and the most dangerous in the world. When the waves are steep and powerful, they break furiously on the shallow reef. In calmer months, usually spring and summer, swimming is good over the sandbar.

Hanuma Bay Nature Park is a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park. It is excellent for snorkelling and scuba diving and has a diverse population of marine life and a beautiful large coral reef. Because it’s a protected cove it’s great for beginner divers. This area also provides beautiful beaches for sunbathing, relaxation and picnics. Since it is a National Park there is a small fee to go there and you are required to watch an educational film about the bay while entering the park.

This is a small sample of some of the most beautiful beaches on the Oahu Island. With the great variety this Island offers it’s possible to find whatever type of beach you are looking for.