Celebration of Life at the beach on the Windward side of O'ahu, Hawai'i…read more.. My high school classmate's Memorial Service was posted on Facebook. I had been working with her son, so I wanted to see him in person and drop off a sympathy card. I asked a bunch of classmates to join me, but Kahana Bay is about a 45-minute drive from Honolulu without traffic. Most people had to work or had other plans. Two gals were able to attend! Towards the end of the journey to Kahana Bay Beach, the road narrows down to one lane. Along the way, the scenery is breathtaking because some of the road is right next to the ocean. Using GPS, I entered the first parking lot, but I didn't see any signs. I parked at the next parking lot - which was for Kahana Bay Camping Site - and I walked on the sand to the Beach Park. I found the large tent with many white picnic tables and benches. I signed in at the reception table and presented my envelope. My friend's son was there - so I had a chance to chat with him before the service. The parking was all free. Some parts of the lot weren't paved. The sand was white and almost powdery-fine in texture. The foliage grew wildly. The shade from the trees was much appreciated. This was a peaceful area with no cell phone service. It was a place where my friend had spent her childhood... and now she has been laid to rest here... Aloha 'oe, Lyanne... until we meet again...

Beautiful place to stop and admire the scenery. The cove is a secluded place to parasail, surf,…read moreswim, or play in the sand. Parking and restrooms are available. The restrooms are a little strange since the stalls are half the height of typical stalls. If someone is already in there you may just want to wait until they are finished. We saw some dogs here that seemed homeless. Hopefully we were wrong and their owners were close by. We did not stay too long since it was raining and chilly. Overall, it was a nice place to stop and rest before continuing our drive.

This is probably my favorite beach so far! It's so beautiful and peaceful. I was able to park my…read morecar right next to the beach!

Kaʻaʻawa Beach Park is where I took my family photos. This little beach only has a couple of…read moreparking spots so getting there early makes the adventure much easier. The reason I chose this beach is because of the towering mountains that rise right behind the sand and the green scenery that makes you feel like you stepped into a movie set. I have been to Hawaii plenty of times, but never here, and the moment I arrived it took my breath away. It felt like a hidden spot waiting to be discovered, the kind of place you want to keep in your back pocket.

This beach has been on our Oahu "to try" list, but we somehow always ended up in Lanikai and Kailua…read morewhen on the eastern side. Waimanolo is a bit further south from Lanikai and is every bit as gorgeous and even more secluded!! Same dreamy waters, blue skies, low hanging clouds, and soft sands.... Without the chaotic parking and with less crowds. It was pretty easy for us to find street parking here and it really felt like the entire beach was ours.

Waimanalo Beach is a stunning beach on the eastern shoreline of the island of Oahu…read more It is not too far from Waikiki and the drive here is absolutely beautiful. It is also far enough that there aren't many tourists, and there's plenty of parking and even a small playground for kids. However the bathrooms at this beach seem to be under renovation and are not the best, so just beware. I highly recommend coming prepared with chairs and snacks, since there's not much around this area. Also, the waves here can get very rough which is not ideal for small children so beware of that. However, we had an amazing time building sand castles and just playing with the sand. I recommend coming here just for a few hours and then moving to another beach.

The beauty of the beach cove is five stars, but safety was not good, so I take one star out. Yes,…read moreadults should be fine with carefully mind but kids and people with conditions should have someone to consult with them. No safeguard down here, wave is very strong. The area that has lots of rock is very dangerous, even it looks safe and gorgeous it is very slippery and sharp. The wave will suck you out easily then you have to crew back to save your life on that type of rock so YOU MUST BE CAREFUL with your jewelry! The water can suck out all of your belonging on you body if you wear to the water! I know it is sound stupid if anyone will wear jewelry to the beach but believe it or not my husband lost his wedding ring and his pinky ring at the cove. Another girl that walked down with us also lost her rings and bracelet too. I talk to a group of local who was there, one of them lost their necklace in the past at this place. My husband tried to go back but I stopped him. It isn't worth at all to risk of your life for it. It is just the object even his value for our story, but I won't trade anything for his life. It was sad and disappointed, and my husband blame himself to made that such a wrong decision, but I take it as an exchange you lost something but safe the most valuable. From the pictures you will see the area that most people are enjoy, it is the area on the right of the beach that next to the cove and the surface at the bottom is flat and only sand. The area is safer to enjoy this beach but as I mentioned about the wave, you must be mindful of your own safety. This beach is like a beautiful flower that draw the insect but also very dangerous.

Beauty right before your eyes! The name of this cove is very deceiving. How can anyone name…read moresomething so beautiful after something so... yucky?! Beats me, but I didn't see not one cockroach on this beach. In fact, what I saw was a gorgeous aqua beach cove which the cleanest water waves. Luckily, this place goes by two other names which sound way more appealing (Halona Beach Cove and Eternity Beach). Cockroach cove is a small beach cove that's located between the Halona Blowhole and Hanauma Bay. Although it's small, it's super popular with both locals and tourists alike. Since the blowhole is so close to the cove, people like to come here to take pictures. It's also a great spot to snorkel as the water is super clear and shallow. It's a popular spot for swimming too (of course). Getting down to the cove requires a super short but steepish decent down jagged rocks. There's a parking lot (the Halona Blowhole parking lot) that fills up pretty quickly. However, since most people just comes to see the views of the blowhole, many people come and leave throughout the day making it easy to find a parking spot at times. Although there was a small crowd of people when I was here, it's waaay less crowded than nearby Hanauma Bay. The water here is just as stunning too. If you have time to trek down to this cove, do it. It's breathtaking and it surely deserves a visit.

Stunning view with big waves that's prolly perfect spot for the surfers. It's more like open space…read moreand do any activities at your own risk as we don't really see any lifeguards in duty. Restrooms are tad dirty as well.

Beautiful beach area. I can literally fall asleep on the sand and drift away I paradise. Found the…read morefamous crooked palm tree.

One of my pledges this year is to complete reviews of more dive sites and shops. Three Tables…read moreBeach is the first beach north of Waimea Bay, and it is marked by 3 reefs that have relatively flat formations ("tables) that pop out of the water. Parking nearby is limited, so come early on a summer weekend! There isn't a comfort station, nearest one is about 50 yards north facing the Firehouse area. No shower either, we've taken solar shower bags or portable shower pumps to clean off. It's got one of the biggest beach areas around Pupukea with very soft sand that your feet will sink into around the tidal area. Once in the water, there is a relatively steep drop and you will quickly get into water up to your shoulders. The diving is superb! Lots of topography, with all sorts of interesting rock & reef formations that fish and other critters hang out. In the past we've had all sorts of rays (especially manta) swiftly come out and photo bomb us before leaving. This year in the aftermath of the two Kona Low storms a lot of sea life was taken out in the mud, fresh water, & general pollution run off in the water. Although the water has mostly cleaned itself out, the sea life hasn't returned in the numbers that you would expect in the summer North Shore diving season. It is still very tranquil and theraputic to dive, even we don't see our favorite critters! Our favorite route is to surface swim due west, dive and follow the topography as it bares toward Waimea Bay, until you hit the sea wall and go north back to the beach. There's a number of caverns and other underwater structures leading back to Three Tables Beach up to about 5-7 feet from shore. We've found some cool nudibranches such as Spanish Dancers in the caverns- it was a great end to the dive! Will repeat and highly recommend, let's go diving!

Reading random reviews of this North Shore spot, I added this as a stop on our final full day on…read morethe island. Due to our schedule, we didn't get here until a little after 1 pm on a Thursday. The parking lot was full but we were fortunate that a car was pulling out as we searched for a space. It was a convenient stop as my friend and I felt nature's calling so the public restroom here came in handy. As the winds kicked up and the skies darkened, I looked in both directions in looking for the calmer beach area which turned out to be to the right, eastward. I could see a cove area with a number of people wading in the shallows. Other posted photos show a variety of marine life easily seen there. On our next visit, we'll need to decide whether to come in the morning before hitting those eating spots. With the lines at that popular east side beach, this may be the best alternative if you're like me and not fond of crowds.

Got the free bike rentals and took the trails all over. You can see quite a bit more on the bikes…read morethan on foot or by car. Good exercise to boot lol. Stopped at a lot of beach locations and even though we've been out here a lot, we saw beach areas around turtle bay we'd never seen before. Fun times, and free, so good for us Sabbath keepers!

Turtle Bay Beach was a nice beach to visit and relax after being in Waikiki. It wasnt too crowded…read moreand parking was easy to find. The walk to the beach was just a few mins and the water was perfect for a December afternoon. I would definitely come back and spend a little more time relaxing and probably take a walk to check out the resort as well.

I really enjoyed Waikiki Beach. I flew in for a couple of days to shop, fine dine and relax…read more Waikiki beach was thriving, full of energy and easy to walk to from my hotel.

Waikīkī Beach, right next to Kūhiō Beach where the surfboard rentals are located, is one of the…read morebest places to learn how to surf. When the waves are manageable and the crowds aren't too heavy, it's the perfect spot for beginners to build confidence and practice their skills. The shower is conveniently located to wash off all the sea water. Our kids have absolutely fallen in love with surfing and are well on their way to becoming little surf pros, thanks to the incredible local instructors. A special thank you to Sparky, as well as tandem instructors Sophia and Kepa, who were so patient, encouraging, and wonderful with our youngest. Beyond surfing, this beach has something for everyone. It's a great place to watch surfers catch waves, sip a coffee while enjoying a breathtaking sunset, relax on one of the beach chair rentals, or hunt for beautiful seashells - including Crowley shells, which are surprisingly tucked away all over the beach if you take the time to look. Whether you're learning to surf for the first time or simply looking for a beautiful place to spend the day, this stretch of Waikīkī Beach is an unforgettable experience. We can't wait to come back!