Halona Cove
Honolulu, HI
Halona Cove is a small pocket of sand tucked below the Halona Blowhole lookout, famous as the beach where the surf scene in From Here to Eternity was filmed back in 1953. The cove is sheltered by lava rock walls on both sides, and the water inside turns a deep, saturated blue on a clear day, though the currents just past the opening are genuinely dangerous.
Gorgeous and famous enough that everyone wants the photo, but the trail down is rough and the currents outside the cove have caused real drownings, so it's not a place to let your guard down.
How we score beachesStick to the sand inside the cove. The channel out past the rocks has pulled swimmers out to sea more than once, and there's no lifeguard here.
The small lot at the Halona Blowhole lookout serves the cove too, and it fills quickly since it doubles as a scenic stop for tour buses.
A steep, unofficial dirt and rock trail drops from the lookout to the cove, not maintained and not suited to strollers or anyone unsteady on loose footing.
Calmest in summer, while winter swells can make the cove's entrance genuinely hazardous even for strong swimmers.
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