Sandy Beach, located in the east of Waikiki after passing Hawaii Kai, is a popular beach for locals, especially for those who enjoy bodyboarding, bodysurfing, and photographing big shore breaks. It is one of President Obama’s favorite beaches on the island, where growing up, he body surfed at this location. The beach is always filled with locals who are not afraid to dive into wave after wave as they come crashing to the shore.
Sandy Beach, the locals’ favorite
Sandy Beach is one of the most popular beaches among my local friends in the South Shore in Oahu. The parking lot is always busy with cars bringing local beach lovers to this location, even during the weekdays. Many locals who enjoy bodyboarding, bodysurfing, and photographing shore breaks all head out to this beach whenever they have time, even during working hours. The beach is always busy, whether it is during the day or after work hours. Of course, there are tourists coming to enjoy this beautiful beach as well, but if you are new to this area, make sure you know that this can be a dangerous place. Yes, Sandy Beach is known for its strong current, dangerous shore break, high surf, and waves breaking on ledge. The waves can get pretty big at this beach, so if you do not feel safe, please do not go into the water. You’ll find that you can still be entertained by watching the skilled local bodyboarders and bodysurfers.
Crystal clear water at Sandy Beach
If you are not so comfortable swimming where large shore breaks are happening and big waves come crashing down, you can go to the west side of the beach where rocks create a little shield and there are tide pools for you to still enjoy time in the water. On a good day, you can jump in the crystal clear water on the white sand beach where you can even see your body submerged under water. This crystal clear water also allows those who enjoy taking underwater photography to catch beautiful waves crashing down at this location. Even you are not a big time swimmer, you can still enjoy being in the water at this spot, avoiding the big waves.
Take your GoPro to Sandy Beach
Something you’ll notice while traveling around Oahu is that you see a lot of people owning action cameras like GoPros. Indeed, those mini handy cameras are great for the island adventure, and you will certainly see many photographing waves, underwater creatures, and surfers all around Oahu.
Sandy Beach is also a popular place where you can spot many locals with their action cameras in hands. They are all seeking the best wave shot of the day, unafraid of the big waves crashing ashore at this beach. If you also brought yours, and are comfortable with the conditions like those at Sandy Beach, this is the place where you can capture the moment you’ve been waiting for. Of course like the unspoken rule of surfing, make sure you do not get in the way of others who are also trying to get the best shot. You really do not want to photo-bomb others around you.
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Beach day at Sandy Beach
When you make it to Sandy Beach, you can plan a full day of outdoor adventures. Sandy Beach is close to other beautiful beaches, allowing you to beach-hop to the other surrounding areas, or you can go hiking at Makapu’u and/or Kokohead. It would be pretty tiring to hike during the day, so I recommend to go hiking first thing in the morning, then come to Sandy Beach later to relax and maybe even enjoy a picnic. Sandy Beach is roughly a 30 minute or so drive from Waikiki, and about 40 minutes away by bus. Within 10 minutes or less of driving there are many other fun beaches and hiking trails, and for those who enjoy the outdoors, you’ll certainly have a blast being out in this area.
Bodysurf your way to Sandy Beach
In order to learn how waves are, the best way to learn is through bodysurfing. With the knowledge of bodysurfing and how waves act, you will soon get better at both bodyboarding and surfing. In fact, Sandy Beach is the perfect location for those wanting to get into body surfing, and even President Obama grew up catching the waves here. This is certainly the favorite beach of many locals. While catching and photographing waves is a lot of fun, this beach could get pretty rough and dangerous, therefore be sure to know your limit when you play at Sandy Beach.
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