On the south side of the island of Oahu, the most populous in the entire chain, this 2.5 mile long beach in Honolulu is lined with hotels, condos, restaurants and endless shopping. Royal palms heavy with coconuts frame a view of the flatwater lagoon. A giant catamaran shuttles passengers on a scenic cruise. Locals hawk surfboard rentals and rides in brightly colored outrigger canoes. Swimmers wade out into the azure water while sunbathers lounge on the beach.
Lifeguards keep watch from their red guardhouse.
In the distance the mountain Diamond Head looms. At sunset, tourists abandon the beach to a few late-night romantics and solitary fishermen. A triple waterfall captured at it most translucent on the lush island of Maui is synonymous for tropical allure. Near Waikane Bridge in the southeast part of the island this emerald green canyon is one the countless that fill the highlands. Bushy ferns cling to the sheer rocky cliffs as the sparkling water flows from upcountry mountain rain forest, over the falls, to terraces below and finally to the ocean.