West Oahu Beaches - visit-oahu.com

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With the Koolau Mountains catching the rain clouds, the west coast of Oahu is always a place of sun and is usually clear and dry the whole year through. The Leeward side of the island is a little less green due to the drier conditions but provides great and relatively un-crowded beaches, fun surf, and sunny weather.

Ko Olina Resort & Marina

Activities	boating, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, swimming
Amenities	parking, restrooms, showers
	Situated on the sunny west coast of O`ahu are beautiful lagoons that were created for the Ko Olina Resort and spectacular JW Marriott Ihilani Hotel. These man-made lagoons are perfect for families to swim together and enjoy the ocean. You can also relax in the shady picnic areas beneath swaying palm trees with a sweeping view of the majestic Waianae Mountain Range. This beach is a member of the National Healthy Beaches Campaign (NHBC), certified by the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. It has fulfilled 60 environmental and service-base criteria and files monthly monitoring reports.

Makaha Beach

Activities	fishing, scuba diving, surfing, swimming
Amenities	parking, restrooms, showers
	With the best surfing spot on the west coast of O`ahu, Makaha is sure to appease the surfing fanatic. Depending on the time of year, Makaha produces a wide range of wave heights, from an easy 2 feet, to a dangerous 10 feet. The sloping sand beachhead can cause backwash and catch an unsuspecting visitor off guard. Regardless, Makaha is a pleasant beach to go to and watch surfers try to tame the ocean waves.

Yokohama Bay & Ka`ena Point

Activities

snorkeling, diving, swimming, shore fishing, and picnicking

Amenities

restrooms and lifeguard at park entrance

The last sandy stretch on the Leeward Shore, Yokohama’s curving sand beach and turquoise waters offer a great spot to watch surfers and dolphins. Located at the end of Farrington Highway, it is great for both surfing and sunbathing and a stone’s throw away from Kaena Point. Just down the road is the western end of the undeveloped Ka'ena Point State Recreation Area; you can hike to Ka'ena Point from here, but it's a rugged trek.

At the northwestern most tip of O`ahu lies Ka`ena Point. This dry, barren stretch of land is as far away from civilization as you can find it. For the avid hiker or trailblazer, Ka`ena Point offers an excellent trail that exposes a natural landscape of native plants and other desert flora. One can even see Kauai, on a clear day, in the distance. There are few sandy beaches available for swimming and the tidal currents can be dangerous. Nevertheless, Ka`ena Point is a beautiful specimen of life before human contact.

Although most Oahu beaches are beautiful and have calm shores, caution should be exercised whenever visiting an unfamiliar beach. Find out more about beach safety and current conditions: hawaiibeachsafety.org