Waikiki Beach

Waikīkī Beach runs along Honolulu's south shore and is really a string of beaches: Fort DeRussy Beach to the west, Waikīkī Beach in front of the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider hotels, Kūhiō Beach along Kalākaua Avenue, and Queen's Surf Beach toward Lēʻahi (Diamond Head). The Duke Kahanamoku statue welcomes visitors to Waikīkī, and the beach looks out toward Lēʻahi. People come to swim, bodyboard, surf and paddle outrigger canoes. The State lists lifeguards every day at Waikiki Dukes, Kuhio, Queens and Kapiolani Park, and the City's towers stand along Kalākaua Avenue. At the Diamond Head end, from the Kapahulu Avenue groin to the Natatorium wall, the water is the Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District, where fishing and taking any marine life, sand or coral is prohibited. Summer swells often bring high surf to this southern shoreline, and waves are especially dangerous at the outer edge of the reef. The City also warns that box jellyfish regularly swarm to south shore waters after the full moon, so stay out where they are sighted and observe posted signs. Parking at the Diamond Head end is limited to a small lot by the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium and street parking along Kalākaua Avenue, and City buses serve the area.