Oahu has many impressive beaches. Waikiki beach is the most popular in Hawaii with great swimming and fun tourist activities including surfing and outrigger canoeing. Situated on the eastern coast are three of Hawaii's best beaches, Lanikai beach, Kailua Beach Park, and Waimanalo Beach Park.
Kailua beach is great for swimming, boogie boarding, kite boarding and windsurfing, kayaking and walking. Lanikai is an excellent beach for children offering reef protection from waves. Waimanalo beach provides nearly 4 miles of sand in a serene and beautiful setting. Oahu’s north shore has miles of nice beaches and is the location of many famous surf breaks.
The northwest side also features good beaches but are not as popular among tourists. Oahu doesn’t have as many snorkeling choices as the other islands, Hanauma Bay and Shark’s cove being the most popular.
Kailua Beach, The mid section of one of Hawaii's finest. This section is less crowded than the beach park section and has better boogie boarding. Kailua Beach Park, Considered by many to be Hawaii's best beach. Nearly 3 miles long. Swimming, windsurfing, kite-boarding, kayaking and sometimes boogie boarding. This section has fine soft sand and can get crowded.
Kualoa Beach Park, Reef protected swimming but poor snorkeling due to cloudy water. Huge lawns perfect for playing frisbee, soccer, football, or flying a kite. Lanikai Beach, One of Hawaii's most picturesque beaches with fine white sand and excellent swimmnig year round. Reasonable snorkeling although the water tends to be murky. Waimanalo Beach, A beautiful, huge beach with lots of sand and few people during weekdays. The ocean is often rougher here than at nearby Kailua beach, making it poor for novice swimmers.
For north Oahu, there are many beach like Ehukai Beach Park (Wide with lots of sand offering good swimming in the summer. Home of the Banzai Pipeline with expert surfing and boogie boarding during the winter), Goat Island (The beaches of goat island are accessible during calm sees by wading or swimming about 200 yards across the channel), Hukilau Beach Park (A fun beach with good swimming), Kahana Beach Park (Cloudy water due to runoff from a nearby stream, but features a nice strech of sand), etc.
For south Oahu, there are many beach like Ala Moana Beach Park (Good swimmnig and surfing in deeper water around the magic island section of the park. The large park adjacent to the beach offers lots of room to play and picnic), Hanauma Bay (Hawaii's most famous snorkeling destination and of the the few snorkeling options on Oahu. Very popular and crowded. Good snorkeling in a well maintained state park), Kapiolani Beach Park (A good alternative to the busy sections of Waikiki beach, Kapiolani beach is always less crowded and offers lots of shade in the park. Somewhat ackward swimming due to rocks in the water), Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park (A popular surfing and windsurfing spot, rocks make it less suitable for swimming. Good place for a seal to take a nap).
For West Oahu, there are Ko Olina Lagoon 1&2 (One of 4 man made beaches in the Ko Olina Resort area offering protected swimmnig), Maili Beach Park (A long beach, uncrowded during weekdays, with large lawns backing the beach (not seen in photos). Boogie boarding close to rocks for experienced riders), Makaha Beach Park (Good swimming and boogie boarding during the summer months. A popular surf location during rougher winter months), Makua Beach (A betufiul beach with good swimming when the ocean is calm. Surprisingly empty during week days), etc.
Have a good traveling in Oahu Hawaii guys!
