Ala Moana Beach Park, Oahu

Ala Moana Beach Park, located in Honolulu, is a favorite among Oahu locals who want to avoid the bustling crowds at Waikiki Beach. The hundred-acre park is filled with swaying palm and banyan trees and features many grassy picnic areas, as well as modern amenities, such as a music pavilion, tennis courts, concession stands and showers. But the park’s most notable feature is the half-mile stretch of man-made beach, which is surrounded by a shallow outer coral reef.

The land and seascape in this particular part of Oahu have changed dramatically over the past century. In the 1920s, the area was a wetland used by the city residents as a garbage dump. The Dillingham Dredging Company forged a boat channel through the coral reef in order to connect the Ala Wai Boat Harbor with Kewalo Basin. Not knowing what to do with the dredged up earth, in the 1950s the company dumped the sand in the park area, which created what is now known as Ala Moana Beach.

Boats no longer pass through the channel, which at 20-30 feet (6-9 m) in depth is ideal for long-distance swimming. There are hardly ever any waves at the beach, making it particularly popular among novice swimmers and families with small children. There is always a lifeguard on duty at Ala Moana Beach, but swimmers should use caution as they head farther into the ocean, as the bottom drops quickly to overhead depths. Those who don’t like the coral reef or want to protect their feet can head east on the beach (the Diamond Head side) for reef-free waters.

Ala Moana Beach activities

In addition to swimming, Ala Moana Beach Park offers a plethora of other outdoor activities. Park guests can often be found jogging, picnicking, playing games, napping, sunbathing, fishing and surfing. Some of Oahu’s best surfing locations, such as Concessions, Big Rights, Big Lefts, Bomboras and Courts, are located just offshore of Ala Moana.