Oahu Beaches

Beaches on Oahu

Ala Moana Beach Park

Ala moana beach park is located in Honolulu between Downtown and Waikiki. The beach park is conveniently located next to the Ala Moana shopping mall and Ward movie theatre, making this beach a hot spot for both locals and tourist.

Ala Moana beach is known for it’s calm waters and recriational sports including, snorkeling, stand up paddle boarding, swimming, and surfing. The inner swim area of the beach is protected by an outer reef that blocks large marine life from entering in, creating a safe and calm water environment. Even during summer swells, the inner waters are fairly calm, making the beach a great location to take the kids for a fun day out.

Surrounding the beach park are pleany of benches and party areas, good for a beach picknic or bbq. As you walk around you will see there is a large public park, where people play soccer, foot ball, frisbe, and more. Ala Moana beach park is also home to the annual greek festival and lantern floating ceremony. If you plan on driving, there is pleanty of free parking, so you won’t need to worry about finding a stall. The bus stop is also nearby if you need a quick lift. Overall, ala moana beach park is a great place for all actvities in Oahu.

Magic Island Beach

Magic Island Beach is part of Ala Moana Beach Park, a popular Honolulu city beach, located between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. Magic Island beach is actually apart of a man made peninsula built in the 1900’s. Locals, and visitors often go here to see the outer coast of the island from the beach and catch some sun. However, if you have sensitive feet, we suggest you stay away from Magic Island if your looking to swim. When you walk in the water it’s a bit rocky, and not as foot friendly as Ala Moana Beach Park. The sand is aslo thicker than the sand at the beach park just minutes away.

Magic Island Beach is also protected from the waves by a surrounding rock barrier. It’s fun to sit on the rock barrier and wave watch, just be careful during the high summer swells, as you could get knocked of the rock and fall in. Also, it’s not a good idea to swim next to the rock barrier and explore the under reefs as there are strong currents that can suck you in causing you to go missing. People have got caught in the rock barriers and drowned, so please, be cautious when swimming around the rocks.

The history behind Magic Island: The Magic Island peninsula was built in the 1960’s to be the foundation to a large hotel. The peninula was made out of dreged coral and finished in 1964. However, the hotel did not get built as investors and the project fell apart. The peninsula was so well built, they made it a park and opened it to the public. Now, it is home to many Japanese Weddings and local gatherings.