Sunset Beach is on the North Shore

North Shore (Oahu)

The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oahu between Kaena Point and Kahuku Point...

 of Oahu

Oahu

Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...

 in Hawai'i and known for big wave surfing

Surfing

Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

 during the winter season. The original Hawaiian name for this place is Paumalū. It is home to the Duke Kahanamoku Classic surfing competition, the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing

O'Neill World Cup of Surfing

The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is a prestigious event in surfing held annually at Sunset Beach in Hawaii. The event attracts over a hundred elite surfers from around the world. It is the second event of the Triple Crown of Surfing. The first competition was held in 1975. Of the 22 surfers who...

 competition, and is occasionally the site of the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational

Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau—known as The Eddie— is a surfing tournament held at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Created in 1984 at Sunset, then changed to the infamous Waimea Bay where Aikau was a lifeguard and where he and his family were caretakers of the valley...

.

Like many beaches on Oahu's North Shore, Sunset Beach is considered dangerous for inexperienced surfers, due to extensive coral

Coral

Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...

formations near the surface that present the risk of serious injury. Conditions for swimming change depending on the particular location and season. Generally speaking, the water is flat as a lake in the summers and has waves in the winters. All the surfing contests take place in the winter around December and January, that being the time of the biggest and best waves for surfing. Swimming conditions change from spot to spot along the beach. There is always a place to swim somewhere unless there is a storm condition happening at the moment.