One of the best features of Hawaii are its beautiful beaches. Depending on time of year and what your general preferences are there is a beach out here for everyone. There are nice calm beaches for young children and those that do not like waves. There are also wild wavy waters perfect for body boarding and even varying degrees of surf good for different skill levels. Oahu has it all!
The activities we want to do at the beach on any given day is what dictates to us which beach to head to. I know it sounds just awful but deciding which beach to go to on any given day is usually the toughest decision we face. Further complicating the decision is the age range I am dealing with.
We have a 14 year old who loves to surf and snorkel, a 10 year old who does not really love any beach, and a 6 year old who loves the crazy stuff but is still small so we worry. Bravado is not exactly a good thing when it comes to the ocean.
We visit many beaches here; some that are calm and great for snorkeling, some that have huge waves only my 14 year old will brave, and some are a nice calm sort of wave where it is fun to play in yet feels safe. Our favorite most days is the latter, nice lulling waves where you can float around sort of coasting over the tops of each wave yet if you head in closer to the shore you can get crashed around a bit. I prefer to avoid that but for some reason the boys love getting slammed into the sand, getting up, and doing it all over again.
Our favorite beach does not even have a name really so I will need to just give you directions. We call it the Lost beach because the first season of Lost was filmed on it. If you watched the show at all you will recognize where the wreckage was and the beautiful tree that Jack's dad often peered out from. (first picture)
It is located on the North Shore so it's perfect during spring and summer but fall and winter may be a lot more rough. Aside from the perfect mix of wave, the water temperature is perfect, refreshing yet warm enough to stay in all day and the backdrop of stunning fluted mountains makes for a great day even if you never step foot in the water. The sea life is great there as well. Every time we have gone we swim with turtles and snorkel out to enjoy the vast array of fish. It is not the best snorkeling beach but you can snorkel and even fish sometimes.
It is a locals beach so we see very few tourists. During the week we are usually 1 of 2 or 3 families there and even on the weekends it is very laid back and free of excessive people. Since it is just past the small air strip we also get to enjoy the acrobatics of the glider planes and marvel at the lack of engine noise when they swoop in for a landing right above us.
As with everything in life there are some negatives to the beach. There is a complete lack of services on this particular stretch of beach. No showers as most beach parks have here and no food, drinks, or bathrooms. Now usually this is a positive as it means there are less people but I suppose we have become a bit spoiled and really prefer the comfort of showering off before heading home. (you can stop at the beach park down the road for a quick showering off if you want, it is only about 1 mile away) There are also no lifeguards on duty. Since we are not surfing at this beach I don't really mind but it is certainly worth noting. Swim with caution.
How to Find it
As I said there is no official name to the beach so I cannot offer an exact address to punch into your GPS, but I can get you there anyway. Head towards the North shore and make your way to the Farrington Highway heading towards Dillingham air field at 68-760 Farrington Highway in Waialua. You will pass by the Mokuleia beach park but we find it too windy and full of rocks. Our beach is just about 1.2 miles past the entrance to that beach park.
You will see the airfield next, across from the beach. When you get to the very end of the airfield you will see a large clearing to the ocean. Here you can park on the side of the road and enjoy the beauty of crystal clear water on one side and stunning mountains on the other. If you head down a bit farther you will reach the Others camp (again for fellow Lost nerds like me) and the end of the road on this side of the island. If you reach that you went too far!
So what do you think? Have you been to "our" Lost beach? What did you think? What is your perfect beach like?
