The 8 Best Beaches in Oahu, Hawaii
It’s true. Hawaii has too many beautiful beaches to count, so I thought I’d round up an Oahu version of my favorite beaches we visited in Hawaii.
Lanikai Beach
Lanikai Beach was on the top of my Hawaii bucket list beaches… for good reason. It’s been named the “most beautiful” beach in Hawaii and it’s also been consistently ranked as one of the best beaches in the world.
If I had to describe the perfect beach paradise, this beach would be it. Soft, fine white sand, secluded amongst private residences, scenic islands in the background, aqua blue waters… it really doesn’t get any better than that.
How to get to Lanikai Beach:
Getting to Lanikai Beach can be a little tricky because this beach is located in a residential area. There are no posted beach signs or lifeguards. Since we were hiking the Lanikai Pillbox Hike nearby, we parked in the designated parking areas on the surrounding residential streets. Parking here is also tricky because this spot is very popular amongst tourists. They are also very strict on parking legally, so be very careful of the “No Parking” signs because you will get a ticket or even get towed.
We found a legal parking spot right in front of a residential home and walked over to the public beach access ways to Lanikai Beach along Mokulua Drive. There are 6 public beach access ways — we happened to come across 1 of them that only lead to water because the sand had eroded away. If you keep heading down (or up, depending on where you parked), you’ll find access to the sand.
You can see the private residences behind me (above shot)
The view of Lanikai Beach from the Lanikai Pillbox Hike
2. Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach was where we were staying, so this beach was the closest to us in terms of convenience. After the first couple of days, we ended up really enjoying our daily activities around Waikiki Beach. In the mornings, we’d go for runs alongside the water on a sidewalk that took us through the park area and beautiful residential areas by the water.
There were lots of cafes, restaurants, shops, all conveniently in the area. If you’re looking for a beach that “has it all,” Waikiki Beach would be it.
Drone shot
iPhone camera shot
We also loved our afternoon sunset beach hangs where we’d either read, tan, take in the surroundings, listen to the ocean, and then watch the sun set over the horizon.
3. Hanauma Bay
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is located on the southeastern side of Oahu, Hawaii. It was formed within a volcanic cone and is home to pristine marine life.
Mark this spot for your snorkeling destination in Oahu, Hawaii.
One thing we remembered from our Hawaii trip is that basically everything needs a reservation in advance. The tickets sell out FAST. If you are thinking of doing this last minute or day before, you can forget it.
Since this is a popular snorkeling spot, my sister and I had a calendar reminder notifying us at 7 AM in the morning to book our snorkeling spot for later that week. You have to book reservations here.
You’ll definitely spot tropical fish and sea animals here — sometimes, even sea turtles sightings. We unfortunately did not spot any, but we had a great time snorkeling with the entire family.
The park is closed MONDAYS and TUESDAYS.
Park entry is $25/person and the parking lot fee is $3.
4. Kaneohe Bay — aka Kaneohe Sandbar
This was another bucket list plan that I was really looking forward to.
Kaneohe Bay is the largest sheltered body of water in the Hawaiian Islands and is home to the largest saltwater sandbar in the world. The ridge of sand in the Kaneohe Bay becomes exposed when it’s low tide. Think about that one scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, where they were meeting at a sandbar — basically a beach surrounded by water on all sides.
Things to know:
The best time to go is in the morning at low tide when it’s ankle-deep and the white sand is exposed. At high tide, it’s waist-deep. Unfortunately, the morning couldn’t work with us that day, so we ventured out there via kayaks around high tide. This is a tide and current prediction that can help you determine when you’d like to go.
There are no restrooms located at the Kaneohe Bay Sandbar. There are restrooms right at He’eia State Pier, where we got our kayaks (here). It took us about a half hour from Waikiki to get there.
The sandbar is 1 mile from the shoreline.
it takes about 45 mins to kayak from the shoreline to the sandbar. If you’re a faster paddler, it could be shorter! A boat ride would take about 10 mins.
This area is a breeding ground for hammerhead sharks. Thousands of them are born every year and spend their first few months in the shallow water. But no need to worry because they are harmless.
It is not recommended to swim from the bay to the sandbar. You can only get there via kayaks or a motorboat.
My family and I originally planned to get there via boat, but we ended up waiting last minute to make reservations, so the kayaks were the only options. Let’s just say we got in our full-body workout that day because it took about 45 mins to an hour to get to the sandbar one-way. Keep that in mind if you’re planning to kayak out there!
Shot from the kayak rental — you can spot the lighter green color where the sandbar is located
5. Laniakea Beach
This North Shore beach is known as Turtle Beach for good reason. You will most likely find sea turtles washing up onto the shore near this corner area of Laniakea Beach, more than any other spot on Oahu.
We happened to see this Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle make his way up the shore this day. His name is Wooley Bully and is 50 years old. What was also fascinating was that he visited this beach only 21 times in 2022, and were able to see him resurface this year.
6. Sunset Beach
For this trip, I had typed into Google: ‘where is the best beach to watch the sunset in Oahu?’ One of the top searches was Sunset Beach… hence the name. We had planned to watch the sunset here around 5 PM, but the day we had went, it was very overcast and didn’t look like there would be a sunset that late afternoon.
This was also the beach where the waves were so strong, I remember my brother and I were frolicking near the waves and I fell one instance because the tide pulling in was so strong, and in the blink of an eye, my favorite tortoise sunglasses were knocked off my head and washed away into the ocean. It happened so fast, I don’t think I had time to even process it… RIP Karen Walkers sunglasses of 8+ years.
There was this little Coco Hut right by the entrance of Sunset Beach and my family got the Pina Cobana smoothie and I got a coconut. Both beverages were refreshing.
7. Makapuu Beach
This was the beach we went to on our second day in Hawaii. It had also been overcast that day, but I’ll never forget this beach because the five of us had so much fun running on the sand, chasing the waves, and just being present with the scenery and taking it all in. It was magical.
8. Halona Beach Cove
This little tucked-away beach is located on the southeastern shore of Oahu. You’ll probably recognize this cove — there were a few movies filmed here, such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, etc.
We liked this spot in particular because of the view and also the Halona Blowhole (not pictured), which overlooks some of the most violent waters in Hawaii. Basically, the big waves send waters rushing into the lava tubes below the lookout, which sends geysers as high as 30 feet through the blowhole. We witnessed some intense geysers when we were visiting.
I hope this inspires you to visit Hawaii if you haven’t yet!
Thanks for reading!