Duke Kahanamoku Beach(Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Lagoon)

Located in the eastern part of Waikiki, Duke Kahanamoku Beach – also known as Kahanamoku Beach, Duke’s Beach, and Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Beach Park – is a wide beach with light brown sand, multiple nearby breakwaters, a nearby reef, and a pier named the Hilton Pier.  Duke Kahanamoku Beach is at the western end of a larger beach area named Waikiki Beach – Duke Kahanamoku Beach is also one of Waikiki Beach’s widest portions.  Duke Kahanamoku Beach is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert known as Mr. Beach.

Although Duke Kahanamoku Beach does not have lifeguards, it has a few other amenities including nearby beach equipment and water sports equipment rental facilities, concession stands, showers, grassy areas, and restrooms.  Dogs on leash are allowed in parts of the beach below the high tide line. 

Duke Kahanamoku Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, paddleboarding, snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, picnicking, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, boating, windsurfing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, skimboarding, canoeing, kayaking, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

The water here has gentle waves, making it ideal for beginner swimmers, kayakers, children, and paddle boarders – the eastern part of the beach has a sandy bottom, making it ideal for swimming.  The beach is also popular with all kinds of surfers – there is a great surfing site named Kaisers at the beach’s north-western end.  In addition, this beach is also popular with snorkelers and it offers a fun Duke Kahanamoku Beach snorkeling experience.  You can have a fun time while exploring the water and sand here.  However, if you are planning to swim, surf, bodysurf, or canoe here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  The beach also has a slightly rocky bottom, which can make water activities somewhat difficult.  

If you don’t like swimming in the ocean, there is a lagoon nearby named the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon – this manmade 5-acre saltwater lagoon has relatively calmer water conditions.  It offers many fun activities including swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, canoeing, and surf-skiing.  

If you like submarines, Atlantis Submarine Adventures Hawaii offers interesting submarine tours  near the beach – these tours provide a unique insight into the marine biodiversity and landscape here.  You can visit Atlantis Submarine Adventures Hawaii’s website for more information about the tour details and charges. 

The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort organizes a fireworks show on Friday evenings. The beach also hosts many other fun events, one of which is the Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Festival.  If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, this beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean, the southern Oahu shoreline, and the nearby Diamond Head, particularly during sunsets.

Duke Kahanamoku Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Duke Kahanamoku Beach is easy – from Ala Moana Boulevard – which is also called Hawaii Route 92 – you need to turn towards Kahanamoku Street.  The paid parking lot for this beach is located at the end of Kahanamoku Street near the Ala Wai Harbor.  

In addition to the parking lot, free and metered street parking spaces are also located in the roads nearby.  As an additional access option, you can also access this beach from the southern end of another nearby road named Pahoa Place – this road offers a few free street parking spaces.  

Please note that smoking is prohibited here.

Duke Kahanamoku Beach was named after a well-known Hawaiian surfer named Duke Kahanamoku, who was primarily known for popularizing surfing around the world as a sport.  Duke Kahanamoku was also a multi-time gold medal winner at the Olympics – besides winning Olympic Gold, he is also known as the “father of modern surfing.”  There is a Duke Kahanamoku statue towards the southwest of this beach – this bronze surfer Duke Kahanamoku statue is a popular local landmark.

There are many attractions near Duke Kahanamoku Beach.  Ala Moana Regional Park – also called Ala Moana Beach Park  – is a 100-acre park that has a popular golden sand beach named Ala Moana Beach – this park offers many fun activities including beachcombing, swimming, fishing, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, picnicking, and tennis.  The park also hosts many fun events throughout the year – one of the most popular events is the Memorial Day Lantern Floating Ceremony.  Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center offers many fun and interesting exhibitions specially designed for children – these exhibits offer information on culture, history, and biodiversity of Hawaii, and also offer information on major professional careers, rainforests, and culture.  Thomas Square is a recreational park that was named after British admiral Richard Darton Thomas and it is the site where the rulership of Hawaii was restored to the local population after a brief British occupation – this park has a statue of King Kamehameha III and it also has walking paths and a fountain.  

The Honolulu Museum of Art is the largest of its kind in the state of Hawaii – this museum exhibits artworks by many eminent artists including Monet, Picasso, Hokusai, and Vincent van Gogh and it also has Asian and Hawaiian artwork.  The museum also has gardens, a library, and a theater.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Foster Botanical Garden is a 14-acre botanical garden that has a wide variety of plants, and it also has a descendant of the Bodhi Tree, under which the Buddha meditated to gain inspiration.  The garden also has many memorials and sculptures including the Daibutsu of Kamakura and a 1977 abstract ceramic sculpture made by artist Bob Flint – you can also see many birds while visiting here.  

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Duke Kahanamoku Beach.  Tropics Bar and Grill offers amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including pork ribs, pasta, sandwiches, seafood, eggs, and salads.  Hula Grill Waikiki is another upscale restaurant that serves amazing Hawaiian-inspired gourmet dishes for lunch, breakfast, and dinner including loco moco, French toasts, poultry dishes, seafood, burgers, and steaks.  Hatsuhana Japanese Restaurant Hawaii is a Japanese restaurant that offers many amazing dishes including nigiri, tempura, donburi, and sushi.  Goofy Cafe & Dine is a popular restaurant that serves amazing dishes for lunch, breakfast, and dinner including steaks, salads, eggs, French toasts, seafood, and pork chops.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, the modestly priced Surf N Turf Taco is an 18-minute-drive away and offers amazing Mexican and Hawaiian-inspired dishes including tacos and ahi poke. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Duke Kahanamoku Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The Halekulani Hotel is a 5-Star hotel that offers many amenities including three restaurants, two cocktail bars, a pool, a spa, a fitness room, and a complimentary weekly wine reception.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Hilton Grand Vacations Club Grand Waikikian Honolulu that offers many amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants and bars, a fitness center, two hot tubs, and a spa.  Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort's Rainbow Tower is another great upscale hotel that offers many nearby amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants, a fitness center, spa, and tennis courts – it also has a beautiful 200-foot-tall vividly colored mural on one side.  A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites, which offers many amenities including a spa, a fitness center, multiple pools, a sundry store, rental facilities for cars and DVDs, multiple restaurants, and a salon.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Waikiki offers many amenities including a pool, a sundeck, a fitness center, and a restaurant.