Lanikai Beach
Lanikai Beach is a nearly straight white sand beach approximately one mile long with considerable variation in width. It narrows at both ends and widens in the middle. The south end of the beach has suffered severe erosion problems, threatening a number of homes. Home owners in this area have constructed seawalls or taken other remedial actions to protect their properties.
The ocean bottom slopes gently to overhead depths along the entire beach. This contour ordinarily would encourage small, trade wind-generated surf, but Lanikai Beach is usually surf-free. The wide fringing reef approximately one-half mile offshore functions like a breakwater, effectively diffusing most of the wave energy before it reaches the beach.
Two large islands, The Mokulua Islands, lie off the south end of the beach. They are popularly known as the “Mokes” or Twin Islands. The leeward shores of the islands have small beaches, a white sand beach o the larger island and a pebble beach on the smaller island.
Lanikai is considered by many Oahu residents to be the best swimming beach in Hawaii. The water is clear and not clouded by stream run off, the beach is clean, wide, and surf-free, and the setting is picturesque, with coconut p[alms lining the back-shore and the Mokulua Islands off shore, Fore these reasons, Lanikai Beach attracts beachgoers from all over he island and is a popular location for commercial photographers.
The larger of the two Mokulua Islands is a popular destination for boaters, kayakers, surfers, and sailor, and its small beach us visited daily and especially on weekends and holidays. It is one of the few offshore islands in Hawaii with a beach where people can land, swim, and picnic.
A few of the many activities at Lanikai Beach are beachcombing, kayaking, outrigger canoe paddling, sailing, surfing, swimming, and windsurfing.
The Mokulua Islands are both state seabird sanctuaries that provide nesting sites primarily for wedge-tailed shearwaters. The shearwaters nest in burrows on the leeward faces of the islands. For their protection, access is permitted only on the beaches, and walking inland is prohibited. Signs detailing the restrictions are posted conspicuously on each island.
The Mokulua Islands are approximately three-quarters of a mile from the south end of Lanikai Beach. As inviting as they appear, they are a long upwind and upcurrent swim or surfboard paddle for novice swimmers and paddlers. Do not attempt the crossing of you are not experienced in the ocean. The islands are located seaward of Lanikai Reef, where they are subject to high surf, especially during the winter months. Be careful walking on the windward sides of both islands.
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