Oʻahu region
North Shore (Haleʻiwa, Waimea, Sunset & Pūpūkea)
Big winter waves, summer snorkeling, shrimp trucks
Seven-mile-miracle surf country, from Haleʻiwa town through Waimea Bay, Pūpūkea and Sunset Beach to Turtle Bay. In winter it hosts the world’s best big-wave surfing; in summer the same bays can lie flat enough to snorkel.
Photo: Daniel Ramirez via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Stay here if…
You want surf culture, sunsets and a slower pace, and you’ll have a car. Turtle Bay is the main full-service resort.
The trade-off
It’s about an hour from the airport, Kamehameha Highway is two lanes and jams on big-surf days, and from November to April swimming is often dangerous. Lodging outside Turtle Bay is limited.
Hotels in North Shore
Big winter waves, summer snorkeling, shrimp trucks
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Tours leaving from North Shore
Things to do
Our picks in North Shore
Snorkel SpotsNorth Shore
Sharks Cove (Pūpūkea Beach Park)
On a flat summer morning the cove is full of fish, turtles and lava arches, and the food trucks across the road make an easy lunch.
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Swimming BeachesNorth Shore
Waimea Bay Beach Park
In summer it’s the North Shore’s best swimming beach; in winter you can sit on the sand and watch some of the biggest rideable waves on Earth.
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National & State ParksNorth Shore
Kaʻena Point State Park
It’s the one place on Oʻahu where the road simply stops and the coast goes wild, with monk seals hauled out on the rocks and no buildings in sight.
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WaterfallsNorth Shore
Waimea Valley
It’s the easiest waterfall walk on Oʻahu, and the valley’s cultural sites and gardens make the walk there as good as the falls.
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Shave Ice & SweetsNorth Shore
Matsumoto Shave Ice
It’s the classic way to end a North Shore beach day, and the shop’s plantation-town history comes with every cone.
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Local EatsNorth Shore
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck (Kahuku)
The garlicky shrimp scampi is messy, rich and exactly what you want after a morning of North Shore beaches.
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Green World Coffee Farm
It’s the easiest way to see coffee growing on Oʻahu, and it’s right on the route to Haleʻiwa.
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