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Kailua Town
Oahu Island Hawaii
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The most impressive snorkelling on Oahu is at Hanauma Bay, about 20 minutes by road from Waikiki heading east. Hanauma has an almost perfect crescent shaped sandy beach which is overrun by tourists from 10am to 4pm but relatively quiet before and after. Here, the waters have some of the islands best corals and excellent marine life in a protected bay. There are blowholes nearby at Halona Rocks, a good place to enjoy coastal cliff walks.
Beyond Hanauma is the lovely Sandy Beach, backed by the impressive Koko Crater. This beach has wide fine white sand, excellent body surfing but conditions here can be raw at the best of times.
Crossing the Koolau Mountains, Makapu'u Beach on the east coast is a sandy beach in a breathtaking setting backed by razor sharp mountains and offers the islands best body surfing although sea conditions can often be dangerous.. Kaupo and Kaiona Beach Parks beyond the commercial Sea Life Park both have good year-round swimming and are popular with locals and Wamalolo Beach Park has excellent facilities including camping grounds and is great for wind-surfing.
There's a nice long stretch of sand at Lanakai Beach just south of the suburban town of Kailua. This quiet residential area has safe swimming and some gentle surfing spots with views of the two small offshore islands in the distance (this is the only place in Hawaii where you'll see small islands). Kailua Beach nearer town has excellent kayaking and world class wind-surfing. Holiday rentals in and around Kailua are a good alternative to the more expensive hotels of Waikiki.
North of Kailua the best all round beach on the windward coast is at Kualoa. Both scenic and boasting fine white sand, Kualoa has good all round swimming with a soft sandy bottom and good snorkelling a little further out. The tiny offshore island nicknamed Chinaman's hat can be reached at low tide, and there's good facilities and camping. The further north you head, the beaches become less frequent, less attractive and more dangerous for swimming until you round the northern point of Oahu.
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Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Tahiti Travel Guide
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