From Waimea Bay west to Sunset Beach, these are the beaches of Oahu's wild North Shore. Read this "Star-Bulletin" article about beach safety in Hawaii.

Waimea Bay County Beach Park

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii. Featuring the largest ridable waves in the entire world, Waimea is the premier surfing beach on the North Shore. Though the waters of the bay are calm during the summer, once the winter hits, the beach crowds with spectators, all come out to watch experienced surfers ride the enormous waves. Anyone inexperienced with regards to the ocean, should not even walk along the shoreline during the winter as waves can sometimes crash upon the shore, much farther up the beach than you might think. A murderous rip a few feet offshore has claimed many lives.

Location :: Waimea Bay, just southwest of the town of Waimea

Access :: Kamehameha Highway.

Services :: Picnic tables, restrooms, lifeguard tower.

Notes :: The beach features a comemorative plaque honoring local lifeguard Eddie Aikau, a man credited with saving not hundreds, but thousands of lives. Tragically, Aikau perished while going for help for a double-hulled canoe capsized twenty miles offshore.

Pupukea Beach Park, North Shore

Oahu, Hawaii. A large park, Pupukea features both a tidepool formed by the construction of a long retaining wall, and Shark's Cove, a shoreline indentation perfect for snorkeling and scuba-diving. The tidepool is home to large schools of sea bass, and is ideal for experiencing the island's marine wildlife.

Location :: North of Waimea Bay, across the road from the Shell station.

Access :: Kamehameha Highway.

Services :: Picnic facilities, restrooms.

Notes :: While exploring the tidepool, wear footgear and a mask, and be sure to keep an eye out for sea urchins on the pool-bottom. Also: despite the suggestively fierce name, there are no more sharks in Shark's Cove than there are at any other beach on Oahu.

Banzai Pipeline

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii. Probably the most famous surfing beach in the world, Banzai got the first part of its name from filmmaker Bruce Brown, who dubbed the beach "Banzai" in his film Surf Safari. The "pipeline" portion of the beach's name comes from the rolling, tubelike effect created by the crash of the waves upon the shore. The waves' unique shape is created by a shallow coral reef found just offshore.

Location :: North of Pupukea, along the Kamehameha Highway.

Access :: Kamehameha Highway.

Services :: Lifeguard tower, found towards the southern end of the beach.

Notes :: Like its cousin Ehukai, the beach at Banzai is poorly maintained, as state money for beach improvements all goes to Waikiki and the major tourist beaches found there.

Ehukai Beach County Park

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii. Although an excellent surfing beach in its own right, the beach at Ehukai is often crowded with spectators come out to watch the surfing action at better-known Banzai pipeline.

Location :: Just north of Banzai Pipeline, along the Kamehameha Highway.

Access :: Kamehameha Highway.

Services :: Restroom,

Sunset Beach County Park

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii. A popular, albeit underdeveloped surfing beach, Sunset also features relatively-safe summertime swimming. However, Sunset is located along the North Shore, and the waters at the park should never be taken for granted as they can be hazardous, even during the summer months.

Location :: One mile north of Ehukai Beach County Park, along the Kamehameha Highway.

Access :: Kamehameha Highway.

Services :: Food concessions, lifeguards. Nearby comfort station provides showers and restrooms.

Notes :: Features the notorious Sunset Rip, an infamous offshore rip current responsible for many deaths each year.