Waikiki Beach: (South) This famous stretch of sand is the spot that originally put Hawaii on the tourist map. No beach anywhere is so widely known or so universally sought as this narrow, 1 1/2-mile-long crescent of soft sand at the foot of a string of high-rise hotels. In high season, it's packed towel-to-towel, but there's no denying the beauty of Waikiki.

Lanikai Beach: (East) Hidden, off the beaten tourist path, this beach on the windward side has a mile of powder-soft sand and water that's calm and safe for swimming. It's the perfect isolated spot for a morning of swimming and relaxation. With the prevailing trade winds, it's also excellent for sailing and windsurfing.

Kailua Beach: (East) Imagine a 30-acre public park with a broad, grassy area with picnic tables, a public boat ramp, restrooms, a pavilion, a volleyball court, and food stands. Add a wide, sandy beach, great for diving, swimming, sailing, snorkeling, and board- and windsurfing, and you've got Kailua Beach, which is tops on the windward side of the island.

Kahana Bay Beach Park: (East) With salt-and-pepper sand, a crescent-shaped beach protected by ironwoods and kamani trees and, as a backdrop, a lush junglelike valley interrupted only by jagged cliffs, you'd swear this beach was in Tahiti or Bora Bora. Kahana offers great swimming (even safe for children), good fishing, and perfect conditions for kayaking. Combine that with picnic areas, camping, and hiking trails, and you have one of the best beaches on the island.

Makapuu:  Teenagers and boogie boarders will also enjoy themselves here. The beach is small, crescent maybe 150 yards long. The attraction is powerful waves, strong enough to knock you back a bit but not as rough as say nearby Sandy Beach. There is some undertow, more on the stage left end of the beach but get past the rocky outcropping near the center and you should be fine. Lifeguards are on duty. Parking is free, and there are toilets, showers and picnic tables. There is only a small patch of shade on the beach, so take care in the sun. No food or drinks are sold.

Malaekahana Beach: (North) If you'd like to venture back to Hawaii before jet planes brought millions of people to Oahu, back to the days when there were few footprints on the sand, then go north to the romantic wooded beach park at Malaekahana. This is a place to sit in quiet solitude or to beachcomb along the shore. There's good swimming most of the time, and good snorkeling when it's calm, but no lifeguard.

Sunset Beach: Surfers around the world know this famous for its spectacular winter surf - the waves can be huge, thundering peaks reaching 15 to 20 feet. In the summer months, Sunset calms down and becomes a safe swimming beach. It's a great place to people-watch year-round.

Waimea Bay: Here is one of Oahu's most dramatic beaches. During much of the winter -- October to April -- huge waves come pounding in, creating strong rip currents. Even expert surfers think twice when confronted with 30-foot waves that crash on the shore with the force of a runaway locomotive. It's hard to believe that during the summer this same bay is glassy and calm -- a great place for swimming, snorkeling, and diving.

Pokai Bay: If you dream of a powdered-sugar sand beach, a place you can swim, snorkel, and probably be the only one on the beach, try this off-the-beaten-path beach. Surrounded by a reef, the waters inside are calm enough for children with excellent snorkeling. Come with aloha spirit and a respect for local customs -residents here don't see many visitors.

Sandy Beach:  Sandy Beach has some very rough waves, making it a favorite for body surfers and boogie boarders. It also has a nasty undertow that forces sand into, through and on your bathing suit and special places. This is not a beach for young kids in any way, but if you have older children who are strong swimmers, the waves can be great fun. There are showers and some toilets but otherwise this is a serious beach. Parking is free and abundant, so you might want to stop by anyway just to watch others wipe out.

From Here to Eternity Beach: From Here to Eternity'  boasts a very real landmark thanks to one of the most famous scenes in movie history: the kissing-on-the-beach sequence where Lancaster and Kerr roll around in the Pacific Ocean's frothy waves, lips locked as the surf washes over them. It’s official name is Hālona Cove.  Once Past Hanauma, look for a scenic overlook on your right called Hālona Blowhole Overlook; you can park here and walk down to the beach. 

OCEAN TIPS:

DANGEROUS SHORE BREAK: Condition when waves break directly on the shore. Shore breaks are unpredictable and dangerous. They have caused many serious neck and spinal injuries to even experienced bodysurfers and swimmers.

HIGH SURF: Large powerful waves are generated by winds and storms at sea sometimes thousands of miles from the Hawaiian Islands. Seasonal high surf occurs on all shores of O`ahu. Typically, shorelines facing North, East and West receive high surf during Winter months. Shores facing Southeast and Southwest receive high surf during Summer months.

STRONG (RIP) CURRENT: These are swift moving channels of water against which it is difficult to swim. Strong currents frequently accompany high surf and rapid tide changes and can be recognized as a turbulent channel of water between areas where waves are breaking. When caught in a strong current -- Try to keep a level head, i.e., don't panic! Wave one or both hands in the air, and scream or call for help. Swim diagonally to the current, not against it. Heed all posted warnings!

If you're uncertain of your abilities, don't go into the ocean during high surf; heed all posted high surf warnings! Your life could depend on it! Surf on the North shore may reach heights of twenty-five feet plus, - on the West shore, fifteen feet plus! These are averages - so remember, individual wave sets can get as big as fifty feet.

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