Oahu Beaches

General Discussion
1

At the end of next month I will be heading to Oahu for a winter vacation :slight_smile: Can anyone recommend some beaches where it is less crowded and the waves can get no more than head high? Please keep in mind that I donā€™t want to get pushed around or beat up by the locals. ;)In the North Shore all I am going to do is sit on the beach and take pictures, nothing more. :wink: Can you recommend a place where I can rent a board for cheap?

Any good snorkeling places besides Hanauma Bay? Iā€™ve been there far too many times and need to check out some new places. Before I head in the water can you give me some info on what the weather and water temp is like in December/January?

One more thing, Iā€™ll be there on New Years Eve, can you recommend some things to do and places to go? TIA, your help is greatly appreciated. :slight_smile:

2

You know how waves are, some dayz itā€™s small and friendly, otherā€™s itā€™s huge and closing out, totally lifethreatening.

Just like OB in SF, you gotta make that choice each day, using your prior experience and your judgement to get you by the day.

You can surf or snorkel anywhere the waves are small and soft. You can snorkel the best when visibility is good, like after a week of small surf.

During peak wave season, visibility can be mixed and currents dangerous, so you have to use your own good judgement.

If you surfed OB on Monday and Wed, then I have nothing to offer you.

3
Quote:

At the end of next month I will be heading to Oahu for a winter vacation :slight_smile: Can anyone recommend some beaches where it is less crowded and the waves can get no more than head high? Please keep in mind that I donā€™t want to get pushed around or beat up by the locals. ;)In the North Shore all I am going to do is sit on the beach and take pictures, nothing more. :wink: Can you recommend a place where I can rent a board for cheap?

Any good snorkeling places besides Hanauma Bay? Iā€™ve been there far too many times and need to check out some new places. Before I head in the water can you give me some info on what the weather and water temp is like in December/January?

One more thing, Iā€™ll be there on New Years Eve, can you recommend some things to do and places to go? TIA, your help is greatly appreciated. :slight_smile:

Well if you want smaller and uncrowded on the North Shore thats pretty tough. If the swell is around 3ft -4ft you could head over to Mokuleia and look for a spot called silver channels or Army beach their generally less crowded and not localized. Or head east to the Turtle bay Hilton and on the left side of the Hotel is a bay with several spots to surf and while the waves aint bad its never crowded there. And theres always town Ala moana etc.

For snorkeling just look for flat conditions somewhere and hop in with your mask and snorkel, but keep in mind theres no other spot on the island with as much nearshore easily seen sealife as Hanauma bay.

4

Howzit! Town side go surf Diamond Head Cliffs. Safe fun spot off diamond head road. Lock your car doors though-as with anywhere in Hawaii. Also plenty of ā€œin betweenā€ spots from Waikiki to Ala Mo. Go surf country! Go surf Kuilima (Turtle Bay) right off the resort hotel- just gotta pay for parking though unless you staying there. Also get Chuns Reef. Pretty safe fun spots unless there is a huge swell. If you are going east side get Irmaā€™s which is a bit after Hanauma Bay and right after Sandy Beach. Just pull off the road abit after Sandy Beach and your probably at Irmaā€™s. In town you can rent a board at Hans Hedeman surf shop and scool in Waikiki at Kalakaua/Kapahulu Avenue. North Shore get plenty places to rent a board. Hanauma bay still the best place to see sea life in the wild. But I heard Sharks Cove on the N.S. is good too. New Yearā€™s eve can see the fireworks display from Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park or many other oceanfront spots. Plenty of partys everywhere that night. I donā€™t know how the weather will be. Usually air 60-70 f. at night and 70-80 f. during day. Water is usually in the 70ā€™s. Have fun! Aloha, Jimmy

5

Thanks guys, looks like I will be on the south east side of the island. One more question, are the reefs pretty shallow at these beaches? It looks like Sharks Cove is not a good place to go too because of the large waves of the North Shore. I might have to venture somewhere else. Mahalo :slight_smile:

6

Itā€™s all sharp reefs and coral heads!

From AlaMo, to Kaisers, any good spot is sharp.

Maybe Queens or Canoes is deeper, but that is really logboard territory and super slow mushy waves.

Army Beach to Kahuku is sharp reefs, bring booties, fall shallow, donā€™t touch bottom.

7

East side, where?

Iā€™ve based over 15 Oahu trips out of Kahala, 5 houses towards DH from the exHilton.

Good left out there, razor sharp reef.

8

Bring booties with my shorts on? Iā€™m so use to wearing my wetsuit in our waters. Iā€™ve never surfed without it. What a new experience. Iā€™ll make sure to bring my booties even though Iā€™ll look a little weird with them on. Ala Moana is by Waikiki right? Like the Ala Moana mall? Itā€™s by there?

9

Your same booties will work, but look wierd.

I use the lowcut same kind of split toe booties. Donā€™t look quite so kook.

If you want to surf NorthShore, just look for small swells.

Chunā€™s and Lani is super territorial, locals only spots.

You goof or reg. Ala Mo would be daunting for a reg.

10

Iā€™m a goofy footer. I probably wonā€™t surf in the North Shore. Iā€™ll leave that to the experts and locals. :slight_smile:

11

I donā€™t know, my first trip to NS was in '70, and surfing for 3 years, no place was too advanced, just too crowded!

Where are you staying? Like I mentioned, I stayed at Kahala a buncha trips.

If you can surf OB any day last week, you can handle most NS spots at the same size.

Browns most daze has a mellow, sectiony left, if you are local.

Kahala I mentioned.

DH goes both waves, but you get caught inside big time.

In front of Kapiolani Park, is those long, mellow lefts that break waaay outside, but full of logboarders who can surf.

Youā€™d hate Turtle Bay, where they hold the womenā€™s pro eventsā€¦itā€™s sectiony, shifty, all rights, and powerless, but no reward.

Kamies when small is not to localized, breaks both ways, but in and out shifty.

Beach Park.

MJā€™s just S of Wiamea is both ways, like Kammies.

Drive to, check out, but maybe avoid surfing West Shoreā€¦Makaha, Maile, Yoks.

S swells are still rolling thru right now.