Best Beaches on the Windward Side of Oahu
Forgot to pick up postcards? Take a drive to the windward side and visit Lanikai Beach to snap some pictures. Picture-perfect blue water and sand so soft that it welcomes your feet highlight this beauty of a beach. Sit and admire the view, or rent a kayak and paddle out to one of two visitable offshore islands. If you’re not feeling that ambitious, you may want to snorkel the tepid ocean waters. Lanikai Beach is now but a half mile long, but what a perfect half-mile it is.
Remember, they call this the windward side for good reason. There’s lots of wind, which can make the ocean a little rough. For kayakers, it presents a fun and interesting challenge. For parasailers, sailboarders and kite-flyers, Kailua Beach is a dream destination. Two miles longer than Lanikai Beach, Kailua Beach allows you a little more room to stretch out. You can reach four different offshore islands from here, but novice kayakers should probably launch from Lanikai. (It’s a shorter trip that won’t leave you as sore and winded).
When I’m feeling lazy, I drive my Jeep right up to the sand at Punalu’u Beach Park. This stretch of beach is long and inviting and usually empty of people. Swimmers don’t have to worry about scraping their legs on reef, because most of the ocean here has a sandy bottom. Snorkeling’s okay, even though there usually aren’t tons of fish. This is the perfect beach to kick back, relax with a paperback novel, and enjoy an occasional swim.
Feel like swimming to an offshore island? The opportunity to do just that makes Malaekahana Beach one of the best beaches on the windward side of Oahu. Located between the towns of La’ie and Kahuku on Highway 83, this beach is a good mile long. The swimming’s great, but I recommend wearing a pair of reef shoes, especially if you intend to swim (or wade) to that offshore island, which I’ll describe below.
Goat Island is just 720 feet off Malaekahana Beach, and it has two awesome beaches (with great swimming) of its own. If the ocean’s rough, you may want to wait until conditions are just right. And again, don’t forget to wear your reef shoes, since the bottom can do a job on your feet.
The windward side of Oahu offers a very different atmosphere than Waikiki, the North Shore, the leeward side, and the Wai’anae Coast. If you’re visiting Oahu on vacation, make it a point to visit the windward side early in your trip. You’ll definitely want to return. Aloha and mahalo for reading. Don’t forget to check out my other articles on Hawaii, including articles on kayaking, snorkeling, and Waikiki resorts and hotels.
