What makes Waikiki Beach worth the trip?
Waikiki Beach stretches roughly two miles along the southern shore of Honolulu, from the Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon on the west to the base of Diamond Head crater on the east. What Hawaiian royalty once reserved as their personal surfing grounds has become the most visited beach in the Pacific, drawing an estimated 72,000 visitors on any given day. The beach is actually a series of distinct sections, each with its own character: the gentle waters of Kuhio Beach, protected by a submerged concrete wall that creates a calm swimming lagoon ideal for children; the surf breaks off Queen's Beach and Canoes, where beginners take their first stand-up rides on longboards; and the quieter stretch of Sans Souci near the Natatorium, where Robert Louis Stevenson once watched the sunset from the lanai of a beachfront cottage. The backdrop to it all is the unmistakable profile of Diamond Head, a 300,000-year-old volcanic tuff cone that catches the morning light in shades of rust and gold.
Waikiki's significance to surfing history cannot be overstated. Duke Kahanamoku, born in 1890 in a modest house just blocks from the shore, became the father of modern surfing by demonstrating the sport to audiences in California, Australia, and Europe during his career as an Olympic swimming champion. A bronze statue of Duke stands on Kuhio Beach with arms outstretched, leis perpetually draped around his neck by admirers. Before Duke, surfing was a dying Hawaiian tradition suppressed by missionaries who considered it frivolous; after Duke, it became a global phenomenon. Today the beach hosts outrigger canoe rides that replicate the traditional Hawaiian watercraft, stand-up paddleboard lessons, catamaran sunset cruises that depart directly from the sand, and surf schools that put first-timers on their feet within an hour on the same gentle waves that Hawaiian chiefs rode centuries ago. The beach is backed by Kalakaua Avenue, a palm-lined boulevard of luxury hotels, open-air restaurants, and surf shops that functions as Honolulu's social spine.