That's Oahu's North Shore and Maui's Hookipa when the big waves roll in. A wave like a moving blue cliff and people riding them is a spectacle you'll never forget. And people get jaded - I've seen people gleefully taking to the water (including me) at Waimea Bay when the shore break was was 12 feet and the life guards didn't even have warning signs up. The trick is to time your entry to and exit from the water to coincide with the sweep of the smallest waves.

An excellent series of guidebooks for Hawaii is by Wizard Publications (see Hawaii Revealed or WizardPub.com). I've used their guides for Kauai and Maui and the Big Island, and their guides to beaches were the best. I assume their book for Oahu is similar.

If you get to the other (southeast) end of the island, and you want to do some swimming or body surfing, check out Makapuu Beach, just before you reach Makapuu Point. It's known for its body surfing and boogy board surfing. I've even used the far end of the beach for nude swimming and sunning (but expect the occasional tourists parked along the highway above to be busy with their telephoto lenses). To see photos of the beach, go to images.google.com and search on "Makapuu Beach".

Further around that end of the island is picture postcard-perfect Hanauma Bay ( images.google.com and search on "Hanauma Bay"). It seems every tourist in the world wants to see it, and the parking and space on the sand and in the water is so at a premium that you can feel like you're in an amusement park. It's worth a look and a photo, but spare yourself the hassle of going down to the beach.

Hiking up the inside of Diamond Head Crater to the WW2 lookout at the peak can get you a different perspective view of Waikiki, and I'd recommend it if you have the time. There's parking inside the crater and it's an easy hike if you're in good condition (it involves a cement stairway with about 99 steps). From the peak, you can also look down at the Diamond Head Lighthouse, which marks the finish line for the Trans-Pacific Yacht Race. There is a miserable rocky beach directly beneath it which is used by gays, and about a 1/4 mile east, directly under the primary tourist lookout (where the tourists can't see) is my favorite for nude use, but you have to be confident and know that you're on federal land, not state or City land. Female topless use occurs with impunity anywhere along the beach, and women don't have be brave for that, except that they will be in a small minority.

~Reggie~