Waikiki Sports and Recreation

You're going to have a marvelous time on the island, and everything you've ever heard about the wild and pristine wonders of Hawaii still won't prepare you for the outdoor recreational experience you're about to have. Whether you've come to hike the island region's mountains or forests, bike its myriad of trails and roads, kayak around its beaches, wreck and reef dive its waters, or fish inland or out in the ocean, what you'll be able to tell others will be just a fraction of the awesome experience you will really have had. Bottom line: Oahu is one of those places that you have to see, touch, and use all your senses for yourself, to believe. And there are more than enough means to go about that. The volcanic tuff formations, the stretches of pristine seashore and clear-blue water and waterfalls, the fascinating wildlife and plant life - it's all here next to the prime attractions of Diamond Head, the Waimea Valley, Hanauma Bay, and of course Waikiki Beach, Lanikai Beach, Kahana Bay Beach, and Sunset Beach.

The bare-bones, back-to-basics way to explore Oahu is, of course, by foot, and in this pursuit virtually every hike-able place on the island is mapped and marked out for your convenience. This yields some amazing results! Traverse the incomparable Diamond Head, take the Aiea Loop Trail through forests of tall eucalyptus and guava trees as it descends from the Koolau Mountains, or hike the Manoa Falls Trail for views from a rainforest of 100-foot cascade, to name just a few of many options. You can also visit Keaiwa State Recreation Area, inland for some more great hikes.

If you prefer to bike your way through the island, you'll net beautiful scenery on all sides. Favorite routes the locals prefer include the Hauula Loop Trail, to discover the big and beautiful Kaipapau Gulch in a pine forest, and biking in Waimea Mountain Bike Park, in Waimea Valley, for 20 different trails of various skill levels.

For the golf lover, one thing not to miss is Koolau, Oahu's incredibly unique golf course carved out of the rainforest. It's one of the most beautiful, and most difficult, in the entire United States. Bring lots of golf balls, a good sense of humor, and an appetite for adventure. Fore!

Scuba diving and snorkeling are next up, and this is where Oahu's, color really dazzles. There are numerous shipwrecks to explore, some sunk to create artificial reefs, others sunk in circumstances more tragic. One of the most popular dive sites is that of the Mahi shipwreck, while another is of the Corsair airplane wreck. In these, as well as in the other, coral reefs, caverns, and coves, you'll come face to face with eels, rays, sea turtles, dozens of colorful fish, sharks, and sponges.

A gorgeous location at which you can dive or snorkel is Hanauma Bay. Accessible by shore, it's a deservedly popular site for water activities of all stripes. The bay was formed by the remains of a volcano's cone, and it has become a protected environment for over 100 species of fish and other forms of sea life. Hanauma Bay is where you'll decide that you'll need to make some more trips to Oahu.