O’ahu Beaches

SOUTH SHORE

The South Shore of O’ahu begins at the 570 ft high Makapu’u Point and extends to Barbers Point, 31 mi to the west. It consists of 56 mi of shoreline and 44 beaches that total 30 km in length. The remainder of the shoreline consists of basalt and tuff in the east, with developed shoreline along parts of Maunalua Bay, at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, Kewalo Basin, Honolulu Harbor-Ke’ehi Lagoon, Honolulu Airport, and Pearl Harbor in the center, and finally a section of raised reefs along the Ewa-Barbers Point coast. Most of the shore is fringed by reefs averaging a few hundred meters in width, which generally results in smaller waves at the shore and numerous surf breaks over the reefs. While the Waikiki beaches attract the limelight, there are other beaches to either end of the island that offer similar high tide reflective sandy beaches and a wide, reef-controlled surf zone, without the backing hotels and development.

O’AHU 108-111 SANDY BEACH
No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

108 Kapaliokamoa 3 6 LTT 150 ft

109 Wawamalu-Kaloko 5 7 R+beachrock 5300 ft

110 Sandy Beach 4 7 R/LTT 1600 ft

111 Halona Cove 3 6 R+rocks 150 ft

The 2.5 mi section of shore between Makapu’u Point and Koko Head Crater is the least protected section of the South Shore. It faces southeast exposing it to both the prevailing south swell and refracted trade wind waves. The shore is dominated by the 600 ft high cliffs of Makapu’u Point to the east and the steep slopes of Koko Head Crater to the west, 1200 ft high. In between is a sloping coastal plain fringed along the shore by Wawamalu Beach and Sandy Beach, with two small sheltered beaches to either end, totalling four beaches, numbers 108 through 111. The Kalaniana’ole Highway provides direct access to the western three beaches.
Beach 108, Kapaliokamoa, is a low gradient 150 ft long pocket of fine sand located in a 300 ft deep cove that was formed when the Kapaliokamoa Breakwater was constructed. The narrow entrance lowers waves to less than 1 ft at the shore. This is a quiet, small cove that is used little by the public. The outer section of cove is exposed to waves and a rip flows out of the cove during periods of large waves.
Beach 109, Wawamalu-Kaloko, begins at Kaloko Point, a low basalt point. The beach trends to the southeast for 5000 ft as crenulate, rock-dominated shoreline. The shore consists of a high tide and storm sandy beach fronted by continuous basalt boulders, with boulders and rock reefs also extending 150-300 ft off the beach. Due to the frequency of rocks and boulders, the beach is unsuitable for swimming and only used by rock fishers and surfers on the outer Irma’s and Pipe Littles breaks. The beach is backed by a low, degraded foredune and undeveloped park area followed by the highway, which runs 150-300 ft inland.
Beach 110, Sandy Beach, is the first beach viewed when driving east of Honolulu on the Kalaniana’ole Highway. The beach is located directly off the highway, with a large parking lot and beach park facilities, and surf at the shore. These traits ensure that the beach is heavily used by locals and visitors. The beach is part of Sandy Beach Park and is patrolled by lifeguards, with two towers on the beach. The curving 1600 ft long beach receives waves averaging 1 mi, which usually break along the southern half of the beach as a heavy shorebreak favored by the more adventurous bodysurfers and bodyboarders. This beach has been the scene of numerous injuries and extreme care should be taken if swimming or surfing here. Lifeguards post signs over the length of the beach to warn of the potential dangers. The eastern half of the beach is fronted by basalt rocks and reefs with waves breaking over the reefs up to 300 ft offshore and producing the Full Point and Half Point surf breaks favoured by board surfers. Waves flowing off the point and along the beach feed a rip that runs out off the southern rocks.
Beach 111, Halona Cove, is a small 250 ft deep, 300 ft wide rocky cove carved into the Koko Head Crater tuff 1000 ft west of Sandy Beach, with jagged tuff rock cliff comprising the shore in between. The highway climbs the slopes backing the cove, with parking lots to either side. The cove contains a small, sheltered 150 ft long high tide beach at its base, which narrows to a 30 ft wide patch of sand at the shore. Rocks and high rock cliffs extend offshore to either side, with backing slopes of tuff rising to 150 ft. Waves are generally small at the beach, however a permanent rip flows out of the narrow entrance and increases in velocity as wave height increases. During periods of smaller waves this is a popular sunbathing and swimming beach, however it becomes hazardous once waves exceed 3 ft.

O’AHU 112 HANAUMA BAY

No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

112 Hanauma Bay 2 5 R+fringing reef 2300 ft
Beach 112, Hanauma Bay, is one of the most picturesque and most popular beaches on O’ahu, and probably among the most popular beaches in the world. The circular bay occupies the partly eroded Nono’ula Crater, with the side and rear slopes rising steeply to 150-500 ft. The curving 2300 ft long beach occupies the rear of the bay and faces southeast out of the 1300 ft wide bay entrance between Palea Point and Pai’olu’olu Point. Well-developed rock cliffs cut into the tuff extending back from the point to the beach, with the sheltered sandy carbonate beach linking the two sides of the bay. The beach is paralleled by a fringing reef located 300-600 ft offshore, with a shallow lagoon in between the reef and shore. Southerly swell waves and easterly trade wind waves are reduced by wave refraction upon entering the bay and average less than 3 ft at the outer edge of the reef. Waves break across the shallow reef, with very small waves and calm conditions at the shore. However, all the water that moves across the reef returns offshore through two permanent rips located to either end of the reef.
The bay and reef have been declared a marine conservation district, with the surrounding area being part of the Hanauma Bay State Recreation Area. In order to protect and conserve the reef and beach the number of visitors is controlled by the size of the 1500-space parking lot and the application of an entry fee, and the entire beach is closed for maintenance on Tuesdays. In addition, access to the rock cliffs is prohibited due to the hazardous nature of the exposed outer ends of the bay and the turbulent Toilet Bowl, a narrow cove on the northern side of the bay.
To maintain the ecology of the bay and ensure the safety of visitors, all visitors are required to watch a video about the bay and how to safely swim and snorkel inside the reef. There are two lifeguard towers located on the beach.

O’AHU 113-119 MAUNALUA BAY (EAST)

No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

113 Portlock 2 5 R+fringing reef 1300 ft

114 Maunalua Beach Park East 2 5 R+fringing reef 600 ft

115 Maunalua Beach Park West 2 5 R+fringing reef 1000 ft

116 Kuli’ou’ou Beach Park 2 5 R+fringing reef 1000 ft

117 Paiko Peninsula 2 5 R+fringing reef 4300 ft

118 Nui Beach 2 5 R+fringing reef 2700 ft

119 Kawaiku’i Beach Park 2 5 R+fringing reef 3600 ft
Maunalua Bay is an 8 mi wide south to southeast-facing bay at the base of Diamond Head bordered by Kawaihoa Point to the east and Black Point (Lae o Kupikipiki’o) to the west. The bay has a continuous shallow fringing reef located 0.5 mi offshore in the east, gradually narrowing to 1000 ft in the west. The reef effectively blocks all ocean waves from reaching the shore, resulting in a very low energy narrow beach. The once near-continuous sandy beach has been modified both in Hawaiian times with the construction of the Niu and Wailupe fishponds, and increasingly drastically more recently with the filling and development of the fishponds and the construction of beachfront houses along much of the beach, as well as the associated construction of seawalls along properties pushed too close to the shoreline. As a consequence, the beach can be divided into eleven sections, beaches 113 through 123, with beaches 113 through 119 being located along the 3 mi of shore between Portlock and Wailupe Peninsula.
Beach 113, Portlock, today consists of a narrow 1300 ft long strip of low energy south-facing beach backed by a continuous wall and beachfront houses. The beach once continued south for several hundred metres more, but has now been replaced by houses and seawalls. The reefs lie 0.5 mi offshore with generally very small waves and calm conditions at the shore. The Walls, Point, China Walls, Fingers, and Poles surf breaks are all located 0.5-1 mi south along the rocky foreshore and fringing reefs of Kawaihoa Point.
Maunalua Beach Park is a 2000 ft long park bordered to either side by the entrances to Kuapa Pond. The park is divided into two parts by a central section of seawall that partly encloses a small, rock-lined pond. Beach 114, Maunalua Beach Park East, has a 600 ft long beach backed by a 150 ft wide grassy park followed by the highway, with a small parking lot at its western end. Beach 115, Maunalua Beach Park West, extends for another 1000 ft to the west. Most of the park shore has been replaced by seawalls, and a large parking lot occupies most of the park’s space. The park is used for launching boats, and has a canoe club located at the western end next to the channel.
Beach 116, Kuli’ou’ou Beach Park, is located on the western side of the 150 ft wide channel. It is a protruding 1000 ft long grassy park bordered by a low energy beach. The beach has a small parking lot and bathroom facilities, with another small channel lined with concrete jetties forming its western boundary. The beach is steep and narrow with generally very small waves and calm conditions. There is deep water and tidal flow through the channel. The Turtles surf break is located 0.5 mi offshore on the outer side of the fringing reef.
Beach 117, Paiko Peninsula, is a curved spit that has formed from sediment moving eastward along the original sandy bay shore and building out and curving around into the once-natural mouth of Kuapa Pond, enclosing the Paiko Lagoon. Today the peninsula is covered by houses along its western half, with the eastern half and lagoon now included in the Paiko Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary. The beach begins at the eastern tip of the peninsula opposite Kuli’ou’ou Beach Park and curves around to trend west for a total of 4300 ft. The only public access is by a walkway off Paiko Drive. The beach is narrow and steep with generally small waves and calm conditions at the shore, and is fronted by shallow 2600 ft wide reef flats, with the Paiko Drive surf break out on the edge of the reefs.
Niu Peninsula is a 1000 ft long filled-in fishpond that separates the Paiko and Niu beaches and is now covered by houses. Beach 118, Niu Beach, begins at the western side of the old pond, and trends to the east curving for the final few hundred meters to end against the eastern seawalls of Kawaiku’i Beach Park. The entire beach is backed by seawall-fronted houses. The beach is steep and narrow and in places replaced by the seawall and rock debris. The shallow fringing reefs extend 2300 ft to the south with usually little to no waves at the shore.
Beach 119, Kawaiku’i Beach Park, is a 1000 ft long beach park located directly off the highway. The grassy park has a parking lot, bathrooms, and shelter. The park is fronted by a steep, narrow low energy beach, with shallow 2000 ft wide reef flats offshore. The beach park is bordered by low rock groynes that interrupt the easterly movement of sand along the beach, causing offset and erosion on the downdrift (eastern) side of each groyne. The beach continues past the groyne at the western end of the park for a total of 1300 ft, the remainder of the beach being backed by seawalls and houses, and in places replaced seawall.

O’AHU 120-123 WAILUPE-WAI’ALAE-KAHALA BEACHES

No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

120 Wailupe Beach Park 2 5 R+fringing reef 4600 ft

121 Kahala Hilton 3 6 R+fringing reef 1000 ft

122 Wai’alae Country Club3 6 R+fringing reef 1300 ft

123 Wai’alae Beach Park 2 5 R+fringing reef 1.5 mi

The Wailupe Peninsula is a filled-in fishpond and marks the approximate center of the Maunalua Bay shoreline. To the west of the 1600 ft long peninsula is 3.5 mi of shoreline that extends to the eastern side of Black Point. The fringing reef continues offshore narrowing from 1600 ft off the peninsula to 1000 ft at Black Point. The once-continuous beach is now divided into four sections, beaches 120 through 123, by structures and a channelized stream crossing the shore. Much of the shore is backed by houses and tourist facilities, with two small beach parks for public access.
Beach 120, Wailupe Beach Park, is small beach park located on the western side of the peninsula, with the 30 ft wide channelized Wailupe Stream separating the park form the seawalled peninsula. The small grassy park has a parking lot and bathrooms and extends west for 600 ft. The next 3000 ft of beach are backed by houses, with the final 1000 ft long section of beach backed by the Wai’alae Country Club golf course, ending at a 300 ft long basalt groyne marking the boundary of the Kahala Hilton. A small, channelized stream drains the golf course and crosses the western section of the beach. The park beach is a very low energy, narrow eroding rock-littered strip of sand and rocks. Most of the 4500 ft long beach is backed by low makeshift seawalls and rock debris. Then entire system is fronted by shallow reef flats that extends 1600 ft offshore to the edge of the outer reef. The Wailupe surf break is located over the outer reefs off the peninsula.
Beach 121, Kahala Hilton, occupies a 1000 ft long section of shore, with basalt groynes extending 300 ft offshore at either end of the beach. The beach has been nourished and averages 50-100 ft in width, and is backed by a row of coconut palms and the resort. The groynes and beach are all kept in a manicured state, and there is a pontoon floating just off the beach. This is the nicest of Maunalua Bay beaches, but is open only to hotel guests. A 150 ft wide channel has been dredged along the front of the beach and links to a wider channel to the west. During high waves a westerly current flows through the channel.
The Wai’alae Country Club occupies a large area of the land located between the highway and the shore. The club borders the shore along the western end of Wailupe Beach and along a 1300 ft long section of beach between the western groyne of the Kahala Hilton and Wai’alae Beach Park. Beach 122, Wai’alae Country Club, is fronted by a 300 ft wide dredged channel that links with the natural channel through the reef in front of the Wai’alae Stream. This beach has the narrowest reef in the bay, allowing slightly larger waves to reach the shore, where they maintain a 30-50 ft wide sandy beach. The beach is backed by the large buildings and facilities associated with the country club.
Beach 123, Wai’alae Beach Park, straddles the channelized Wai’alae Stream, which contains a low concrete groyne extending 600 ft offshore into the 300 ft wide channel. The channel trends south, then southeast through the 1600 ft wide reef. The small beach park provides parking and bathroom facilities on the eastern side of the channel. The Kahala Beach section extends west of the channel and park, and is backed by houses all the way to Black Point, with three public access paths located between houses. The entire beach is 1.5 mi in length and narrows to the west where it becomes increasingly backed and finally replaced by seawalls. The reef gradually narrows from 1600 ft in the east to 1000 ft in the west where they link with the basalt rocks at the tip of Black Point.

O’AHU 124-126 KA’ALAWAI-DIAMOND HEAD

No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

124 Ka’alawai Beach 4 6 R+fringing reef 3000 ft

125 Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park 4 6 R+fringing reef 2600 ft

126 Diamond Head Beach Park 4 6 R+fringing reef 300 ft
The southern side of Diamond Head between Black Point and Diamond Head Beach Park faces due south into the prevailing southerly swell. The coastline is relatively steep with a series of narrow beaches, numbers 124 through 126, along the base, all fronted by 1000-1300 ft wide irregular fringing reefs that produce a number of good surf breaks.
Beach 124, Ka’alawai Beach, begins against the western base of Black Point and trends to the west for 3000 ft, backed continuously by houses occupying the lower slopes of Diamond Head. The only public access to the beach is by Kulamanu Place, at the very eastern end. This leads to a small sandy section of beach, bordered by the basalt rock of the point to the east and extensive slabs of beachrock to the west. The beach receives waves averaging about 1 ft, which surge up a 30-50 ft wide moderately steep sandy beach, alternating with outcrops of beachrock. Fringing reefs extend 1000 ft offshore, with the Black Point, Kaiko’o, Mahoney’s, and Browns surf breaks all located over the reefs and point off the eastern end of the beach. The waves breaking off the point area and gaps in the reef maintain two permanent rips flowing out though channels in the reef.
The 100 ft high Kuilei Cliffs extend along the southern side of Diamond Head, wedged in between the road and shoreline. This area is a beach park and has parking above on Diamond Head Road and a footpath down to the shore. Beach 125, Kuilei Cliffs, is a moderately steep 30 ft wide beach that hugs the shoreline, alternating with beachrock outcrops. There is an irregular fringing reef extending 1000 ft offshore with a number of good surf breaks, including Cliffs and Lighthouse, the latter being located on the cliffs at the western end of the park. Waves are lowered to about 1 ft at the shore. Due to gaps in the reef water converges and flows out though the channels as permanent rips, with three well-defined rips crossing the reefs.
Beach 126, Diamond Head Beach Park, is a small 300 ft long park and beach located immediately west of the lighthouse and wedged at the base of the 100 ft high cliffs between the road and the shore. There is no direct access to the park other than walking around the rocks from Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park. The beach is narrow, with the cliffs behind and beachrock outcropping along most of the shore. The reefs continue alongshore averaging 1300 ft in width, with the Suicides, Graveyards, Zeros, and Winches breaks over the outer reefs. Two well-defined channels cross the reef to either end of the beach and help maintain permanent rips.

O’AHU 127-129 KALUAHOLE-SANS SOUCI

No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

127 Kaluahole Beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 300 ft

128 Outrigger Canoe Club 3 6 R+fringing reef 270 ft

129 Sans Souci Beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 600 ft
To the west of Diamond Head is the beginning of a coastal plan associated initially with the Sans souci-Waikiki beach-barrier system. The system once extended as a continuous beach from Kaluahole Beach west to Waikiki and beyond. Today seawalls, groynes, and other structures have divided the beach into 11 systems, numbers 127 through 137, many of which have been nourished with non-native sands from other islands and beyond. The first 0.5 mi of shore have three small beaches, numbers 127 through 129, occupying 1100 ft of the shore, the remainder being replaced by seawalls.
Beach 127, Kaluahole Beach, is located at the southwestern tip of Diamond Head and is backed by houses, but can be accessed from the small Makalei Beach Park located immediately to the east. There is no public parking for the park or beach. The 300 ft long beach is steep and narrow, with low tide beachrock paralleling the shore and fringing reefs extending 1000 ft offshore. The beach ends against a protruding seawall. The Tongs surf break is located over the reef off the beach.
The Outrigger Canoe Club occupies a beachfront location amongst the densely developed shoreline that extends east of Sans souci beach. Beach 128, Outrigger Canoe Club, is an 260 ft long section of shore wedged in between the seawall fronting the clubhouse restaurant and a 150 ft long groyne, with the beach widening west towards the groyne. There is a public access path between the tall buildings that back the groyne. The beach is sheltered by reefs that extend 1300 ft offshore, with a few small boats and canoes usually moored close to shore. There is a small channel and rip that heads southeast off the beach and maintains offshore flow of water. The Ricebowl and Old Man’s surf breaks are located over the reefs off the club.
Beach 129, Sans Souci Beach, occupies the shoreline at the eastern end of Kapi’olani Park. It is the easternmost public beach in the Waikiki beach system and has a lifeguard tower. The 600 ft long beach is bordered by the Outrigger Canoe Club groyne to the east and the 300 ft long side of the Natatorium to the west. The beach is up to 150 ft wide, with the park and parking behind, followed by Kalakaua Avenue and the large Kapi’olani Park. This is a popular beach with locals and tourists who wander this far from the center of Waikiki. The beach narrows in the east towards the groyne, where it is at times replaced by a seawall. Reefs extend 1000 ft offshore and usually lower the waves to less than 1 ft at the shore. However, there is a deep sandy channel and associated rip extending east of the beach, and care should be taken if swimming off the beach in this area, as the rip flows out across the reef. Over the reef are the Castles and Publics breaks, and further out on larger days the Steamer Lane break.

O’AHU 130-137 WAIKIKI BEACHES

No. Beach Rating Type Length

Shore Outer

130 Kapi’olani Beach Pk 3 6 R+fringing reef 600 ft

131 Queen’s Beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 1000 ft

132 Kuhio Beach Park 3 6 R+fringing reef 2000 ft

133 Waikiki Beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 2000 ft

134 Gray’s beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 1300 ft

135 Fort DeRussy Beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 1600 ft

136 Kahanamoku Beach 3 6 R+fringing reef 1600 ft

137 Milo Tree 3 6 R+fringing reef 150 ft

The Waikiki beaches extend for 2 mi between the western side of the Natatorium and the basalt breakwaters of the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor. The once-continuous curving beach can now be divided into at least eight sections, beaches 130 through 137, based on the location of seawalls, groynes, hotels, as well as traditionally named sections. Fringing reefs extends 1600 ft off either end, narrowing to 600-1000 ft in the center. While this is the most famous and one of the most popular sections of beach in the world, it is also one of the most heavily modified and developed, with seawalls backing the entire beach, several rocks groynes and concrete breakwaters crossing and paralleling the beach, and nine major hotels located behind sections of the beach. In addition, the beach sediment texture has been modified by non-native sand nourishment from a range of sources, while the width of the beach is a function of both degree of nourishment and proximity to the groynes. Beaches range in width from up to 150 ft at Kahanamoku Beach to no beach and exposed seawall along sections of Gray’s and Kapi’olani beaches. The beach is a function of development over the past century and is long overdue for a more coordinated plan of management and restoration.
Beach 130, Kapi’olani Beach Park, marks the ocean-side of the large Kapi’olani Park that occupies about 250 acres of the coastal plain between Diamond Head and Kalakaua Avenue. The beach park extends along the shore for 600 ft between the Natatorium and a 150 ft long rock groyne. The beach is a 150-300 ft long sliver of sand wedged in against the western groyne, with seawall exposed along the eastern half of the beach. Fringing reefs extend 1000 ft off the eastern end, and narrow to 600 ft in the west, with the left hand Publics break running along the edge of the reef. The beach is relatively steep and narrows to the east, with a lifeguard tower located 50 ft east of the groyne. A seawall and walkway back the beach, followed by a 300 ft wide shady park that extends to Kalakaua Avenue.
Beach 131,