Sandy Beach, Hawaii

Sandy Beach guards the southeast corner of Oahu, below the sculpted cliffs near Hanauma Bay and the Halona Blowhole. It is one of the island's most powerful shorebreaks, a place where waves jack up abruptly on a steep sand bank and detonate almost on the sand, throwing spray and testing anyone who takes them on.

This is bodyboarding and bodysurfing country, the discipline that made Sandy Beach a legend and the training ground of many champions. The wave breaks hard and shallow, folding into a fast, hollow tube that is thrilling for skilled riders and genuinely dangerous for the unwary. Neck and back injuries are common enough that warning signs line the beach. Full Point and Half Point are the named takeoff zones, and skilled bodyboarders use the sudden ledge to launch into the air off the lip.

South swells fire it up, so the main season runs through the southern-hemisphere winter from around April to September, though the exposed coast catches wrap-around energy at other times too. Strong currents, a sudden drop-off and the sheer force of the shorebreak mean the water is best left to experienced surf swimmers who know the beach.

The setting is dramatic and windswept, with a grassy park behind the sand and views along a rugged volcanic coastline that hang-gliders launch above from the ridge at Makapuʻu. It sits on the scenic loop road around the island's eastern tip, an easy drive from Honolulu past blowholes and lookouts. Facilities are simple, lifeguards keep close watch, and for strong swimmers seeking raw ocean energy, few beaches deliver it as directly as this one. The stretch is also a favoured launch for hang-gliders and paragliders riding the updrafts off the sea cliffs above the road.