At some points, the sparkling sand is wide enough for only two or three sun-soaked beachgoers to lay their bodies on the swath between solid land and Pacific Ocean waters.
After years of chronic erosion, state officials are testing a sand-pumping project in an attempt to reclaim the iconic beach using offshore sand, without having to truck in sand from elsewhere.
Beach erosion is common worldwide, and the usual remedy is to truck in sand, but that has not been done in any major way at Waikiki since the 1970s.
Sand has been imported from other areas of Oahu, Hawaii's Molokai island and - if you believe local legends - as far away as Australia.
Waikiki beach has shrunk by about 30 cm a year over the past five decades as rough currents wear away the smooth surface, scientists say.
The erosion is not caused by heavy use from the 70,000 tourists who trample over the islands each day.
The main culprit is a sand shortage caused by shoreline development, including sea walls and the loss of dunes buried by manmade structures, said Chip Fletcher, a University of Hawaii professor and expert in coastal geology.
''We sell Hawaii in the form of thousands of photographs of our beaches every year,'' Fletcher said. ''If the beaches go away, we have a problem.''
While the beach still satisfies millions of visitors annually, it is barely a sandbox compared with the vast expanses found a half-century ago. If it's not cared for, Waikiki Beach will eventually disappear entirely.
''It used to be big. Now it's crowded, and everyone is bunched together,'' Honolulu resident Ashley Granados said as she sat alongside a spot on the beach about 20 metres wide. ''The water is too close.''
Waikiki, whose sands bear different names in their stretch from near Diamond Head to the public boat harbour, steadily declined for most of the past 30 years.
The plan is to dredge 10,000 cubic metres of sand from a little less than a kilometre offshore, then pump it underwater back to the beach.
The $US425,000 ($A543,000) test program gives beach lovers hope that Waikiki could be restored to its original splendor, but officials have said it could cost $US25 million ($A31.9 million) to repair all of the beach.
hawaii waikiki
hawaii waikiki beach photo
hawaii waikiki at night
hawaii waikiki pic
hawaii waikiki wall paper
hawaii waikiki people
hawaii waikiki amazing view
hawaii waikiki natuter view
