United StatesHawaiian IslandsVolcanic island
Oahu
1,555 km² rising to 1,227 m out of the Pacific Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,555km²
Area
347km
Coastline
1,227m
Highest point
Kaʻala
976,372
People
27°C
Warmest sea
September
3,697km
To the mainland
When to go to Oahu
Best for the beach from May to September.
The sea is warmest in September (27 °C) and coolest in February (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Hawaii, United States
Oahu is an volcanic island in United States. It belongs to Hawaiian Islands. It covers 1,555 km², with 347 km of coastline. Its highest point, Kaʻala, rises to 1,227 m. About 976,372 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 3,697 km away.
Getting there
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at HNL airport (Honolulu, Oahu)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesUSS Arizona Memorial Shuttle Boat
- 3,697 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From May to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Oahu.
- 130beachesSpitting caves, Cromwell's Beach, Swanzy Beach and 127 more
- 74viewpointsPali Lookout, Diamond Head Lookout, Halona Blowhole Lookout and 71 more
- 5lighthousesBarbers Point Light, Aloha Tower, Makapu'u Point Lighthouse and 2 more
- 5ferry terminalsCanoe Boarding Station, Canoe Deboarding Station and 3 more
- 20marinasKoko Marina, Makani Kai, Haleiwa Boat Harbor and 17 more
- 115named peaksKamaohanui, Kōnāhuanui (K1), Kōnāhuanui (K2) and 112 more
- 25waterfallsWaikahalulu Falls, Waimea Falls, Manoa Falls and 22 more
- 9castles and fortsBattery Harlow, Tunnel 407, Birkhimer State Emergency Operations Center and 6 more
- 23ruins and archaeological sitesFoster Mansion Driveway Lamp, Ewa 1 Locomotive, Kaniakapūpū Ruins and 20 more
- 7dive centresHanauma Bay Dive Tours, Reef Pirates Diving, Aloha Scuba and 4 more
- 12surf spotsSnoopy’s Surf Shop, Hapa Board Shop, Sand Island Surf Shop and 9 more
- 4waymarked walking routesAiea Loop Trail, Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail, Manana Ridge Trail and 1 more
- 9campsitesCamp Mokuleia, Malaekahana Beach Campground, Kahana campground and 6 more
- 215hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1,291restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Oahu in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Oahu, each with its own numbers.
93beaches and covesCoastya
1waterfallCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
27.0°C
Lanikuhonua Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
93 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Sans Souci Beach26.8°C
- Waikīkī Beach26.8°C
- Lanikai Beach26.7°C
- Keālia Beach26.8°C
- Laniakea Beach26.8°C
- Lanikuhonua Beach27.0°C
- Mākua Beach26.8°C
- Manners Beach27.0°C
85 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Manoa Falls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 217 m above the sea. 53 % of it is below 200 m.
- 29 %0–50 m
- 24 %50–200 m
- 38 %200–500 m
- 10 %500–1,000 m
- <1 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Honolulu350,964 people
- East Honolulu49,914 people
- Pearl City47,698 people
- Waiau-Pacific Palisades47,591 people
- Makakilo / Kapolei / Honokai Hale46,389 people
- Kalihi-Palama43,805 people
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam42,184 people
- Aliamanu / Salt Lakes / Foster Village38,833 people
- Kailua38,635 people
- Waipahu38,216 people
- ʻEwa Gentry-West Loch35,828 people
- Kaneohe34,597 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Night low (°C) | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
| Sea (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 71 | 82 | 94 | 54 | 46 | 37 | 40 | 44 | 50 | 74 | 86 | 93 |
| Wet days | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Sun h/day | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.2 |
| 2021 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −0.5 | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +1.3 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | +1.0 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.8 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.9 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
MolokaʻiUnited States677 km²1,515 m106 km away
LanaiUnited States366 km²1,030 m131 km away
KauaʻiUnited States1,442 km²1,598 m171 km away
MauiUnited States1,889 km²3,055 m193 km away
KahoolaweUnited States115 km²452 m176 km away
NiʻihauUnited States186 km²381 m232 km away
HawaiiUnited States10,434 km²4,207 m337 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q131347) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit