Duke Kahanamoku Beach is immediately adjacent to the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor and the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon. It in Waikiki and an offshore protective reef makes it a good beach for families with children. Swimmers should wear reefwalkers or some other protective footwear because the shoreline in this area has a rocky bottom. Kahanamoku beach is a popular swimming, kayaking, canoeing, and sailing beach and it is also home of the Port Hilton Dock where the Atlantis submarine tours

Fort DeRussy Park and the Hale Koa Hotel both belong to the United States military, but the park and the adjacent beach are open to the public. This is the widest stretch of white sand beach in Waikiki and it is popular for snorkling because of the coral reef located a few hundred feet offshore. The grassy park has courts for volleyball, squash, and tennis, food stands, picnic tables, barbeques, restrooms, and showers. There is a public access right-of-way that runs through Fort DeRussy Park from the street to the Beach.

Kaluahole Beach is a steep and narrow 300 foot beach located between Outrigger Canoe Club Beach and Makalei Beach Park. The beach is lined with private homes, and there is no public parking at the beach, but the beach can be accessed from small Makalei Beach Park which is just east of Kaluahole Beach. I believe it is also possible to walk along the seawall from Outrigger Canoe Club beach. Kaluahole Beach is sometimes called Tongg's Beach because of the offshore Tongg's Surf Break.

Kapiolani Park was created by King Kalakaua in the 1870's. This beautiful 500-acre park is listed on the State's Historic Register as many of its exceptional trees date back over 100 years

The breakwater at Kuhio Beach creates a pool-like swimming area, making it a great spot for light swimming, floating, and families with kids. There is also a narrow strip of grass between the beach and the side. Kuhio Beach stretches along Kalakaua Avenue between Queen's Surf Beach at the Kapahulu Groin and the area near the Waikiki Surfboard Lockers, where the Waikiki beachfront hotels begin.

Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park on Oahu lies at the foothills of Diamond Head, between the lighthouse and the residential community of Kaalawai. Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park is a popular surfing and windsurfing spot in Diamond Head.

Queen's Surf Beach is generally considered to include the portion of Waikiki Beach between the Kapahulu Groin and the Waikiki Aquarium. Queen's Surf Beach is bordered on the Waikiki Aquarium end by the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District, and on the other end by Prince Kuhio Beach.

San Souci Beach is located at 2863 Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, in front of the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel.

Waikiki Beach is not just one beach, but rather it is a series of beaches that stretch along the south shore of Oahu Island from the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor to Diamond Head Crater.