Ninety seconds on Waikiki Beach
Your stretch decides the day: the walled pools at Kuhio for a calm swim, the slow Canoes break for a first surf lesson, or the shallows at Kaimana, past the old Natatorium at the east end, when the hotel front is packed.
The beach runs about 3km, from the wide sand and lawns of Fort DeRussy in the west to Kapiolani Park in the east; walk a stretch of it before you pick a spot. Book a surf lesson the day before at the activity desks on the sand around the Royal Hawaiian, and take an early slot.
Lifeguards staff the towers along Kuhio Beach and Kapiolani Park from 8am to 6.30pm every day, so swim inside those hours. Reef and rock lie underfoot off some stretches, so water shoes help. Stay inside the marked swim zones: catamarans and canoes work the water just offshore, and boards crowd Canoes, the beginner break off the Royal Hawaiian.
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