They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beaches in Hawaii are known for their pristine and natural beauty. Hawaii beaches always rank in the Top 10 Best Beaches list.

Beauty is not all you’ll find on some beaches. Danger lurks nearby. Here’s the most dangerous beaches in paradise…

Fortunately, the really dangerous beaches are not in Waikiki or near the major resorts. Don’t let yourself get over confident, though. Water is water and enough of it makes for a good, refreshing drink. Too much of it and refreshment is gone and danger is near.

Far and away the two most dangerous beaches (according to an interesting statistic that I’ll get to later) in Hawaii are on Oahu’s East Shore—Makapuu and Sandy’s.

“It’s something of a guess as to how many swimmers and surfers there are on a beach in a single day.”First, the statistics are based upon the number of official lifeguard rescues per 100,000 swimmers or surfers on any given beach.

Those are difficult statistics to keep as it’s something of a guess as to how many swimmers and surfers there are on a beach in a single day. 

The number of rescue attempts is probably easier to track, although I couldn’t get a breakdown of exactly what constitutes a rescue attempt—hauling a non-breathing body out of the ocean?

Or running into the water to help a youngster or older person get back on their feet after getting clobbered by a wave?

Regardless, here’s the Top 10 List of Most Dangerous Beaches:

Makapuu Beach – East Shore of Oahu. Rocks, rough break, dangerous currents. 91 rescues per 100,000 swimmers and surfers.

Sandy Beach – East Shore of Oahu. Dangerous shore break. 82 per 100,000.

Waimea Bay – North Shore of Oahu. Very large waves in winter. 72 per 100,000.

Keauwaula Beach – 49 per 100,000 swimmers and surfers.

Hanauma Bay – East Shore of Oahu. This one is surprising as Hanauma is as tranquil as it gets. However, the beach ranks third to Waikiki and Ala Moana as to number of swimmers.

How about the dangerous waves at the famous surfing paradise known as Pipeline? #6. Waikiki? Not even in the top 15. Ala Moana is #13.

These stats came from Hawaii’s Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division and covered statistics collected from 1998 through 2002.

Now, I’m going out to look for shark bite statistics. In-laws don’t count.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.