Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands, after Kauai and Maui. Around one million people call it home — roughly two-thirds of Hawaii’s entire population. The state capital, Honolulu, sits on Oahu’s southeast coast, making the island the political and cultural heart of the state.
The island has 112 miles of coastline. Its beaches are divided into four distinct areas based on where they sit on the island — the North Shore, the South Shore, the Leeward Coast, and the Windward Coast. Each one has its own character and draws a different crowd.
The North Shore is world-famous for big wave surfing. Waimea Bay and Ehukai Beach are two of its most iconic spots. Ehukai is home to the Banzai Pipeline, one of the most photographed and dangerous surf breaks on the planet. In the early 1970s, the North Shore was already drawing top surfers from around the world.
The South Shore is a very different scene. This is where Waikiki Beach is found — wide, sandy, and lined with tall palm trees and luxury resort hotels. Waikiki was already a major tourist destination by 1973, drawing visitors from the mainland United States, Japan, and beyond.
On the west side of the island lies the Leeward Coast. The island itself blocks the trade winds from reaching these beaches, which keeps the water calm and the conditions generally mild. These beaches tend to be quieter and more suited to swimming and relaxing than surfing.
The east side of Oahu is called the Windward Coast. Unlike the sheltered Leeward beaches, these shores face the open ocean trade winds directly. Beaches like Waimanalo and Makapuu are popular with locals and visitors alike, yet they remained largely unspoiled even as tourism boomed elsewhere on the island.
Photographer Nick DeWolf visited Oahu in 1973 and captured these scenes across the island’s coastline. DeWolf was an avid amateur photographer who traveled extensively and documented daily life with a candid, observant eye. His images from this trip preserve a snapshot of Oahu’s beaches at a time when Hawaii was still finding its footing as a major travel destination.
Hawaii had only become the 50th U.S. state in 1959, just 14 years before these photos were taken. The early 1970s were a period of rapid growth for the islands, with new hotels and infrastructure changing the look of places like Waikiki fast. DeWolf’s photos catch the coastline at a pivotal moment.
The beaches DeWolf photographed were far from empty. Locals surfed, swam, and gathered along the shores just as they do today. The photographs show the natural beauty of Oahu’s coast alongside the everyday life of the people who used these beaches regularly in 1973.
