Exploring Oahu Part 3
The North Shore and the West Side of Oahu.
““You are in charge here. I like that. I think it should be that way everywhere we go.” ”
For my final installment on Oahu, I’m going to talk about both the West Side and the North shore. Both locations are about an hour away from Honolulu, but are well-worth a day trip – or just staying over there all together.
The North Shore of Oahu is world famous for surfing and for it’s laid back vibe. It hosts several surf competitions throughout the year and has a totally different feel than Honolulu/Waikiki does. It just feels more chill and the scenery is tropical and lush.
On the other hand, the West Side of Oahu is the driest part of the island and is the safest bet of where to go if the rest of the island has rain. It is more of a desert terrain, but still boasts gorgeous green mountains as the backdrop. The water clarity on the West Side is unmatched on the island and is my favorite spot to snorkel.
So without further ado, here are my food, beach and hiking recommendations for the North Shore and the West Side of Oahu.
Food On the North Shore
Konos – BBQ and burritos – specializes in pork and is really delicious with lots of different sauces
Sunrise Shack – Vegan food truck that specializes in bowls and Bullet Coffee Get the monkey bowl & the coconut oil bullet coffee. Soooo ono!
The monkey bowl at Sunrise Shack is yummy!
The Elephant Shack – great place for Thai food
Shark’s Cove Grill – good plate lunches and smoothies. Right across the street from Shark’s Cove – which – contrary to it’s name does not have a lot of sharks but does have some awesome snorkeling.
Sprout Sandwich shop – delicious sandwiches and really healthy options
Matsumotos Shave Ice – Decent quality of shave ice – pretty fine shavings. Add some ice cream and sweetened condensed milk to get the full effect. There used to be really long lines for it but now they’ve made it into a much more efficient line system.
Eat some Matsumoto’s Shave Ice and take a photo
Island Vintage Coffee – good açaí bowls and really good coffee. There are several of these throughout the island too – so you can check it out in Honolulu as well.
Ted’s Bakery – Have I mentioned that I love pies!? I still have dreams about their Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cream Pie and their Chocolate Haupia Cream pie. Their crusts are buttery and yummy without being too sweet.
Beaches on the North Shore
Sharks’s Cove – great for snorkeling – cool little lava tubes to swim through, but also has shallow waters for people not as confident in their swimming skills. On calm days the water visibility is great!
Discovering some underwater lava tubes at Shark’s Cove
Waimea Bay – one of my all-time favorite beaches. During summer months, the water is incredibly calm but during the winter the surf can be massive (see Eddie Aikao). There is a fun rock to jump off of into the water (about 15 feet)
Waimea Bay
There is a fun rock to jump off of if you time it right with the waves
Pipeline – one of the world’s most famous surf spots. The rip tide and current can be really dangerous so pay attention if you’re planning on swimming or body surfing. When the surf is big, it’s incredible to watch.
Pipemasters Surf Competition
Pipeline can be really calm
You can go to the Pipemasters Competition for free!
Watching Kelly Slater win his heat at Pipemasters
f you get a chance – check out PipeMasters Surf Competition (happens in December).
An incredible opportunity to watch some of the best surfers in the world
and admission is free!
Sunset Beach – near Haleiwa (the main town on the North Shore) and usually pretty calm and great for beginner surfers. – also good for collecting shells.
Another fun idea to go swimming with sharks. The boats leave from Haleiwa. Through this company, One Ocean, you will learn a lot about sandsharks (usually about 6 feet long) and how to swim with them without being in a cage. The trick is to always swim near the surface, maintain eye contact if one of them looks at you and to swim while making as little splash as possible. When we went, there were about 50 sharks swimming with us. I found it to be both educational, thrilling and really cool. We even saw a hammerhead shark swimming below us. My friend decided to stay in the confines of the boat where she could easily get back in the boat, but I felt pretty safe out in the open water.
This picture looks fake but I promise I took it while also being terrified.
Hikes on the North Shore
I haven’t done a ton of hikes on the North Shore – I usually like to be at the beach – but I know there are some good ones. This is the only one I’ve done
Laie Falls – this hike is cool or ok depending on how much rainfall has happened. It can be super muddy and slippy and crazy or just crazy but the waterfall pool at the end is pretty neat. About 8 miles round trip.
This section of the trail is called “Heart Attack Hill”
West-side
Food on the West Side
Honestly, I have tried a lot of places to eat on the West Side but I will give my one recommendation of where I go when I am on that side of the island.
Monkey Pod – great locally grown food. A bit pricey for what it is but the atmosphere is great – you can sit on a deck and listen to live music. The little shops around the area of Ko’Olina are also great for browsing. It’s definitely more on the touristy side, but the quality is good.
Beaches
Disclaimer:
Any where on the West Side- please be aware of your surroundings. There are many local people who live on the West Side who have lived there with their families for generations. Don’t cause trouble, don’t get in front of people when they’re trying to surf. We are guests on this island and need to be respectful of the people who actually live here.
Makena Beach – great for swimming, snorkeling and just lounging at the beach. Totally Beautiful
Makena Beach
Pray for Sex Beach/Yokohamas – one of my favorite beaches on the island all the way at the end. The water is crystal clear and gets deep really fast. Head there really early in the morning and you might get to swim with spinner dolphins.
The water at Yokohama Beach is the clearest on the island.
Swimming with Dolphins
And titles
You can even swim with dolphins. For free. You need to get to Yokohamas early and swim out around 6am to catch them.
Mermaid Cave: Park at Nanakuli Beach Park and then walk 5-7 minutes towards the rocky side of the beach and look for the opening. It’s pretty cool to look at and then you can head to some of the other cool beaches afterwards. It’s not very big but the water is cool and it feels magical!
Took us a little while to find the opening to the mermaid caves
But really cool once you’re inside.
Electric Beach – One of my all-time favorite spots to snorkel. Incredible visibility, great fish to spot and turtles galore! It’s not for the “new swimmer” though. It requires about a 1/2 mile swim past a fairly big wave break. It’s called Electric Beach because it’s at an electrical station. Once you get past the break, you need to follow the large pipe underwater that comes from the electrical plant. At the end of the pipe it empties warm water that attracts all the fish to the area.
Electric Beach
Hikes
Kaneana Cave – cool hike up to a neat cave with really cool views of the West Side. About 3 miles round trip.
Kaena Point – hike to the farthest point on the island. Easy, flat hike around 3.5 miles round trip and you get to see sea lions at the end of it.
Kaneana Cave Hike
Kaena Point Hike
This concludes my posts on Oahu. I’ve had so much fun reminiscing and sorting through photos of this place that was my home for a year. It may be “the most touristy island” but it’s so full of great spots, great food and wonderful people.
