The Best Beginner Surf Breaks on Oahu, Hawaii

If you’re planning a trip to Oahu, Hawaii and want to learn how to surf, it’s helpful to know where to paddle out, where to stay, and a few of the unspoken rules that every new surfer should know. 

The Pros of Learning to Surf on Oahu, Hawaii

• It has the most consistent surf
• There are surf breaks for all skill levels
• It has the largest amount of beginner-friendly breaks 
• It is fairly easy to get around 
• The island is teaming with surf instructors, professional surfers, and surf culture 

The Cons of Learning to Surf on Oahu, Hawaii

• It has the highest density of people per square foot of all the Hawaiian islands and its surf breaks reflect this statistic;
• It’s home to some of the gnarliest swells and gnarliest surfers in Hawaii 
• Most Oahu surf breaks require a fair amount of paddling before you actually arrive at the break 
• With the exception of the North Shore, and certain parts of the Eastern/Western shores, most of Oahu is a concrete jungle (it’s a verified hub for Asian-Pacific trade) and not what visitors generally think of when they think of a remote tropical island. 

Tips for Learning How To Surf on Oahu 

If you’re a beginner surfer and it’s your first time to Oahu, hiring a local surf instructor is highly recommended. They will help you with your board rentals, take you to beginner friendly breaks, and help you catch waves your first time in the water. 

The Best Surf School for Beginners on Oahu: 

• Waikiki Beach Boys
• Hans Hedemann Surf School 
• North Shore Surf Girls
• Surf N’ Sea Haleiwa 

Most of these surf schools will also provide board rentals and private lessons.  

3 Beginner Surf Breaks to Know on Oahu: 

Queens

• Location: Waikiki (South Shore, Oahu)
• Best type of board: Longboard
• Pros: consistent wave, easy take offs, long rides, fun waves most of the year
• Cons: sizable crowds, long paddle out
• Where to stay: Moana Surf Rider, The Royal Hawaiian

Queens is an iconic Waikiki wave and due to its consistency, can be great for beginners. Queens is known for gentle rolling waves that make it easy to paddle into and catch. Along the beach in Waikiki, you can find surfboard rentals and Beach Boys who are readily available to provide surf instructions and lessons. 

Pops (a.k.a. Populars)

• Location: Waikiki (South Shore, Oahu)
• Best type of board: Longboard
• Pros: consistent wave, long rides, approachable, fun waves most of the year
• Cons: sizable crowds, long paddle out
• Where to stay: Moana Surf Rider, The Royal Hawaiian

Pops is a great alternative for beginner surfers if Queens if too crowded, Pops is just a short paddle from Queens. Like Queens, Pops provides a very consistent wave, easy take offs, long rides, and is approachable for most skill levels. This break is especially accessible if you’re staying at a hotel in the heart of Waikiki. 

Pu’ena Point 

• Location: Hale’iwa (North Shore, Oahu)
• Best Type of Board: Longboard
• Pros: one of the easier places to surf on the North Shore, potential to score some long rights
• Cons: it can get crowded and generally only breaks with larger swells 
• Where to stay: Turtle Bay Resort, Haleiwa Air BnB 

If you're a beginner but your dream is to ride a wave on the North Shore, this is where you could make it happen. One of the few north shore spots that don’t require navigating through a pounding shorebreak, Pu’ena Point is one of the easier places to paddle out from and it’s generally easy to tell where the peak is (a.k.a. where to take off). Because of its accessibility, the break can be busy with others who are learning to surf and surfers of all ability levels.  

Surfing Etiquette

For surfers of all levels, wave etiquette is based on common sense — be respectful of others, and they will be polite in return. But there are also a few unspoken rules of surfing that you should know before you paddle out:

• The right-of-way is first surfer up, or the surfer closest to the curl, has the right of way. 
• Don’t drop in on someone (e.g. paddle in front of a someone who already has a wave) or snake someone to get a wave (knowingly paddle around someone else to gain right of way).
• When in doubt, use your voice to alert other surfers to your movements. 
• If there are other surfers out, wait your turn and don’t go for every wave (there’s plenty for everyone). 
• Keep control of your board by surfing within your ability level, wearing a leash, and holding onto your board  when you exit a wave (so it doesn’t hit someone else). Heavy boards and sharp fins can cause injury to yourself and other surfers. 
• 
Paddle wide around the break to get back out to the line up. 
• If you’re caught in the wave, stay in the white water until you can safely paddle around the breaking waves into the channel.