Oahu Hawaii

Oahu Beaches

Oahu beaches offer some of the best sun bathing and people watching on powder white sand in the embrace of warm tropical rays. From the gentle shore break of Waikiki, to the powerful, pounding waves of the North Shore, there are beaches on Oahu that will satisfy all needs from sunbathing and strolling to swimming and surfing.

oahu beaches

However, Oahu Beaches do offer more than sun bathing and people watching on powder white sand in the embrace of warm Hawaiian rays. Oahu beaches also offer a range of fun and active water sports such as swimming, surfing, windsurfing, boogie boarding and snorkeling. With water temperatures at the island's 139 beaches ranging from 75ºF to 80ºF year round, it's easy to understand why locals and visitors alike are regularly drawn to the blue waters and beaches of Oahu.

The East Coast of Oahu has several lovely beaches and a number of vacation homes and bed and breakfast guesthouses in the sprawling suburb of Kailua but not much else in accommodation. The area inland from Kailua has some spectacular mountain cliffs and picturesque golf courses.

Windward Side Oahu Beaches
Take a quick drive through the Ko`olaus. The city drops away, and you're on the Windward Side, where you'll find Oahu's best beaches for swimming, easy surfing, and great windsurfing. The Windward Side runs 35 miles, north-south, on the east coast of Oahu, and the best beaches are on the more populated southern end near Honolulu. Not to be missed is Kailua and Hanauma.

Leeward Side Oahu Beaches
The beaches of Oahu's drier leeward west side are a bit off the beaten track for the average visitor. The Waianae mountains separate Leeward Oahu from the rest of Oahu, and Farrington Hwy. is the only road in and out.