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Hawaii Travel --> Islands --> Oahu --> Attractions --> Beaches on Oahu --> Waikiki Beach

Islands of Hawaii © Ron Dahlquist

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Waikiki Beach

Waikiki Beach is located just east of downtown Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu. Waikiki is the top tourist destination in all of Hawaii, and many Hawaii visitors never leave Waikiki Beach. Waikiki is popular with travelers who enjoy sunbathing, swimming, dining out, nightlife, socializing, shopping, and people watching. It is a fun place with it's own special charm, but I always recommend that visitors see more of Oahu then just Waikiki, so they will not leave Oahu thinking Waikiki is a good representation of what the island has to offer. The easiest way to tour Oahu without a car is to take one of the organized circle island tours.

Waikiki Beach is really a series of beaches. From west to east the beaches of Wakiki are:

Kahanamoku Beach Fort DeRussy Beach
Gray's Beach
Royal Manoa Beach
Kuhio Beach
Queen's Surf Beach
San Souci Beach

Waikiki Beach since the 1950's
Before the 1950's, much of of the shoreline in Waikiki was narrow and rocky with no sand or very little sand. At time the beach was popular with surfers who could get long ride from Steamers Lane to the shore. There was also a wide coral feef off shore filled with reef fish, squid, and lobster. In 1951 Waikiki beach was widened to 150 feet when more then 100,000 cubic yards of sand was moved to Waikiki from Waimanalo Beach and the Kaneohe Naval Air Station. Two negative impacts of that decision were reducing the length of the Waikiki surfing ride, and filling some of the lobster and squid habitats with sand. Oahu environmental groups are working with the Hawaiian tourism industry to preserve and protect all of the beaches and natural habitats on the island.

How Waikiki Changed Between 1931 and 1970
These pictures of the Waikiki area in 1931 and 1970 show the large number of high rise hotels built during that time.
More on the Web About Waikiki Beach Aloha.com - Waikiki Beach
Hawaii Web - Waikiki Beach

See Also:
More Oahu Beaches

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