Oarai Beach — Pacific Coast Sandscape

Oarai Sun Beach is a 1.5-kilometer crescent of pale sand facing the Pacific, backed by pine groves and bordered by rocky headlands. The beach is wide, gently sloped, and protected by offshore breakwaters that calm the waves, making it popular for families during summer (July–August). The water is cold — this is the Pacific, not the tropics — but clean and swimmable from late June through September.

Beyond swimming season, the beach is valued for its long, uninterrupted sandscape — ideal for walking, jogging, or simply sitting and watching the ocean. Sunrise is particularly atmospheric, when fishing boats return to port and early light turns the wet sand into a mirror. The beach is also a surf fishing spot (spring and autumn runs of sea bass and flounder) and hosts the annual Oarai Fireworks Festival in late July — 5,000 fireworks launched from offshore barges, viewed from the sand.