Oahu BeachesHawaii Beaches: Introduction | Oahu Beaches | Maui Beaches |Hawaii (Big Island) Beaches | Kauai Beaches 
Great Oahu beaches are found on all sides of the island. Some beaches are best-known as family-friendly spots or snorkel sites, others are known for surfing and other water sports. Generally, beaches on the north and west have high surf conditions during winter months and the opposite can be said for the southern and eastern Oahu beaches. East Shore
Kailua is known as the biggest little beach town in Hawaii. Kailua sits at the foot of the Koolau Mountains on Kailua Bay on the
windward (eastern) side of Oahu.
Kailua has become the Hawaii Bed and Breakfast capital, with rooms and vacation rentals starting at $60 a day.
The waters are ideal for swimming, surfing, and sailing. As well, this is one of Hawaii’s best-known windsurfing and areas. Inexperienced surfers, body boarders, and bodysurfers will find waves they can handle. However, children should be careful of the sudden drop-offs in the channels formed by the Ka'elepulu Canal as it enters the sea in the middle of the beach park.
To get to Kailua Beach, take Pali Highway (Hwy. 61) to Kailua, drive through town, turn right on Kalaheo Avenue, and go a mile until you see the beach on your left. Or take TheBus no. 56 or 57 into Kailua, then the no. 70 shuttle.
To get here from Waikiki, take the H-1 to the Pali Highway (Hwy. 61) through the Nuuanu Pali Tunnel to Kailua, where the Pali Highway becomes Kailua Road as it proceeds through town. At Kalaheo Avenue, turn right and follow the coast about 2 miles to Kailua Beach Park; just past it, turn left at the T intersection and drive uphill on Aalapapa Drive, a one-way street that loops back as Mokulua Drive. Park on Mokulua Drive and walk down any of the right public-access lanes to the shore. Or, take TheBus no. 56 or 57 (Kailua), then transfer to the shuttle bus.
North ShoreSome of the biggest winter waves in the world pound ashore along the North Shore. Along the 7-mile stretch of sand encompassing the North Shore, three Oahu beaches stand out from the rest.
Facilities include lifeguards, restrooms, showers, parking, and nearby restaurants and shops in Haleiwa town. The beach is located on Kamehamemha Highway (Hwy. 83); from Waikiki you can take TheBus no. 52.
Ehukai Beach is located 1 mile north of Foodland store at Pupukea.
Sunset Beach is located 1 mile north of Ehukai Beach Park.
South Shore
Ala Moana Beach Park stretches for more than a mile between Waikiki and Honolulu. It is one of America's best urban beach parks and the most popular with local families.
The beach is a narrow half-mile stretch of white sand with a deep swimming channel. Thanks to light surf, it's considered one of the most swimmable beaches in Hawaii and one of the best for children. During the week, the beach is generally wide open.
The Ala Moana Beach Park is in Honolulu on the makai (toward the sea) side of Ala Moana Shopping Center and Ala Moana Blvd. From Waikiki, take Bus 8 to shopping center and cross Ala Moana Blvd.
Waikiki's gentle waters are ideal for novice surfers, who can take lessons from the - offering over 17 years of experience in Hawaii. Hedemann Surf School will get you up and riding waves in less than 2 hours. In addition to surfboards, you will find canoes, kayaks, boogie boards, paddle boats, snorkels and umbrellas for rent. And if you are hungry or thirsty, you’ll find ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs and tropical alcohol and non-alcohol refreshments from one end of the beach to the other.
If the surf is up, we'd suggest that you stay out of the water unless you're a very strong swimmer. Still the combination of constant sun and tradewinds makes this a great spot to work on your tan. Bring a cooler, sandwiches and sunscreen and make a day of it.
Sandy Beach offers restrooms, showers, parking, a picnic area, and lifeguards on duty daily. Go weekdays to avoid the croweds, weekends to catch the bodysurfers in action.
From Waikiki, drive east on the H-1, which becomes Kalanianaole Highway; proceed past Hawaii Kai, up the hill to Hanauma Bay, past the Halona Blow Hole, and along the coast. The next big, gold, sandy beach you see ahead on the right is Sandy Beach, TheBus no. 22 will also get you here.
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Kailua Beach is the main beach in the area and is often regarded as the best overall beach on the island. The crescent-shaped, golden-sand beach runs for nearly two miles along the front of the Kailua town, with the Kailua Beach Park at its southern end. 
The Kailua Beach Park includes a pavillion, parking, picnic facilities, restrooms, showers, lifeguards, a boat ramp at its south end, and sometimes a food concession (they come and go).
Along with its sister Oahu beach just around the corner (Kailua), Lanikai Beach is usually chosen as one of the top ten beaches in the United States. With sugar-powdered golden sands, swaying palm trees, lush tropical plants, translucent turquoise waters, and endless sunshine, this mile-long Oahu beach on the windward coast is too gorgeous to be real — one of Hawaii’s truly postcard-perfect beaches. 
A nearby coral reef helps to create year-round swimming pool-calm waters, excellent for swimming, snorkelling, and kayaking. Two tiny offshore islands function not only as scenic backdrops but also as bird sanctuaries. Visitors often kayak to the twin islands of Mokumanu and Mokulua.
There are no facilities here, just off-street parking. 
In the winter, Waimea Beach Park is lined with spectators watching the best surfers in the world ride waves as high as 30 feet. In the summer, this deep sandy bowl has gentle summer waves that are excellent for swimming, snorkeling, and bodysurfing. On one side of the bay is a huge rock that local kids like to climb up and dive from.
For die-hard surfers, the mecca of the sport lies at Ehukai Beach, home of the world-renowned Banzai Pipeline — a curling wave that skilled surfers ride through. Those lucky enough to ride the seemingly impossible waves without wiping out are left with a lifetime of bragging rights. 
The mile-long Sunset Beach draws expert surfers from all parts of the world. In summer, the golden Oahu beach stretches to a strand of more than 200 feet in width, popular with swimmers and bodysurfers. In the winter time, the beach narrows and the waves rise ten feet or more. Lifeguards are on duty daily and portable rest rooms are available. Sunset Beach gets its name from the night time explosion of light and color that paint the sky as the sun sets gracefully behind the waves.
Facilities include softball fields, tennis courts, a lawn bowling area, food concessions, showers, rest rooms, the McCoy Pavilion, and more than 100 acres of picnic areas. Although limited, there is parking on the road between the park and beach and in a lot near Magic Island. A popular spot for picnicking and jogging is Magic Island — a 30-acre man-made peninsula shooting off Ala Moana Beach Park.
Hanauma Bay, a marine sanctuary, is located in the crater of an extinct volcano on the eastern tip of the island just past Hawaii Kai. Its shallow water, calm conditions and myriad varieties of tropical fish, coral and marine life make this Oahu beach the ideal place for even the novice snorkeler and the most popular diving spot in the islands. 
The City and County of Honolulu have had to enforce usage restrictions to enhance the regeneration of what could become an overtaxed environment. Parking is very limited. If you want to see one of the world's great snorkeling spots, go early. Better yet, take one of the . They'll handle the transportation and supply you with snorkel, fins and environmentally-safe fish food for a moderate price. 
Facilities include parking, restrooms, a pavillion, a grass voleyball court, lifeguards, barbecues, picnic tables, and food concessions. Alcohol is prohibited in the park; there is no smoking past the visitor center. Expect to pay $1 per vehicle to park and a $5 per person entrance fee (children 12 and under are free). Open daily except for Tuesdays.
If you're driving, take Kalanianaole Highway to Koko Head Regional Park. Avoid the crowds by going early, about 8am, on a weekday morning; once the parking lot's full, you're out of luck. Or, take TheBus to escape the parking problem: The Hanauma Bay Shuttle runs from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay every half hour from 8:45am to 1 pm; you can catch it at the Ala Moana Hotel, the Ilikai Hotel, or any city bus stop. It returns every hour from noon to 4:30pm.
Waikiki Beach, the best known of Oahu beaches, is a two-mile stretch of golden sands from Hilton Hawaiian Village on one end to the cluster of high-rises at the base of
Beachgoers are most concentrated in front of four neighboring hotels — Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, Outrigger Waikiki Beach, and Sheraton Moana Surfrider — and least crowded in the Kapiolani Park beach areas, such as Queen‘s Surf beach (by the aquarium) and Sans Souci Beach (by the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel). 
Sandy Beach, a 1000 foot-long beach at the base of Koko Krater, is the kite-flying capitol of the Hawaiian Islands. Steady trade winds, dependable sunshine and elegant rolling surf make this a favorite place for body-boarders, kite-flyers, and surfers. Turn a corner and you should be able to find a deserted strip of beach all to your self.