Calm-Water

Luquillo is the beach most Puerto Rican families use, and it is set up accordingly: a reef offshore knocks the swell down so the water inside is flat and shallow, there are lifeguards, showers, restrooms and shade under the coconut palms. It also has one of the island’s best casual food scenes immediately behind it - a strip of around sixty kiosks selling alcapurrias, empanadillas, fresh fish and cold drinks, which turns a beach afternoon into a proper meal. The eastern end has an accessible section built for wheelchair beach access. El Yunque is twenty minutes away, so the two pair naturally.

Seven Seas is the public balneario nearest the Fajardo ferry terminal, and it is a genuinely good family beach in its own right rather than just a place to wait for a boat. The bay is protected, so the water is shallow, warm and calm a long way out, and it has the full public-beach kit: lifeguards, restrooms, showers, picnic shelters, kiosks and camping. From the eastern end a short trail leads over the headland to Playa Escondida and Playa Colora, two rougher, emptier coves worth the twenty-minute walk. The Laguna Grande bio bay tours launch nearby.

Lindquist is the beach St. Thomas residents recommend when you ask where they go. It is a protected territorial park, which means a small entry fee, a gate, and consequently far fewer people than the free beaches. The sand is soft, the water is shallow and clear with almost no wave action, and there is snorkelling around the rocks at the eastern end. The view runs across Smith Bay to St. John and the British Virgin Islands beyond. Facilities are basic - restrooms and picnic shelters, no concession - so bring food and water. It closes on some days of the week.

Magens Bay is a deep horseshoe with headlands on both sides, which blocks the swell almost entirely and leaves a mile of flat, warm, shallow water. For toddlers and nervous swimmers there is nothing better in the territory. The trade-off is that a sheltered sandy bay is not a snorkelling bay - there is little to see underwater compared with Coki or Maho. Facilities are full: restrooms, showers, a snack bar, chair and kayak rental, and shade under the sea grape trees. It is a major cruise excursion, so port days transform it; check the schedule.

Maho is the turtle beach. Seagrass beds start almost immediately offshore and green turtles feed on them daily, often within twenty or thirty feet of the sand in water barely deep enough to swim. Spotted eagle rays cruise through regularly too. Because the bay is protected and the water is flat and shallow, this is the most accessible wildlife snorkel in the territory - a cautious child in a mask can see turtles without ever being out of their depth. The road runs right along the beach so access is trivial. Keep the required distance from turtles and never chase or touch them.

Buyé is small, sheltered and shallow, with coconut palms growing close enough to the sand to give real shade, which is rarer than it should be. The water is clear and stays waist-deep a long way out with very little wave action, so it is a genuinely relaxing beach with toddlers. Local families use it heavily at weekends and there is a modest food kiosk scene; midweek it can be almost empty. Facilities are limited. It pairs naturally with Playa Sucia and the Cabo Rojo salt flats for a day on the south-west corner of the island.

Sun Bay is a public balneario, which means facilities - restrooms, showers, shelters, a large parking area - attached to a beach that on most days is close to empty. The bay is broad and shallow with very little wave action, so it suits small children, and the sand runs for over a mile so you can always walk away from whoever else is there. Vieques’s free-roaming horses graze the grass behind the beach and wander onto the sand, which is one of those things children do not forget. Camping is permitted with a permit. It is the easiest beach on the island to reach with a hire car.

One of the safest swimming beaches on Kauai north shore thanks to the longest fringing reef in the state that protects the shoreline from waves. The water is calm, warm, and shallow for a long way out making it excellent for young children. The reef creates a natural lagoon that is great for beginning snorkeling. The beach is long and the campground at one end makes multi-day stays possible. The mountain backdrop and quiet setting feel like classic old Hawaii. Windsurfing is popular here and fun to watch.

A shallow protected beach on the north end of Lahaina that is perfect for toddlers and young children. A natural reef creates a wading pool that rarely gets deeper than two feet, so parents can relax while little ones splash safely. The sandy bottom is smooth and the water is warm and calm. Older kids will find it too shallow but for babies and toddlers this is the ideal beach. Shade trees along the shore provide relief from the sun. The beach is small and local so you will feel like you found a secret spot.

Four man-made crescent-shaped lagoons with calm, protected water that is the safest ocean swimming on Oahu for young kids. The lagoons have sandy bottoms, gentle slopes into the water, and are sheltered from waves and currents. Toddlers can splash in ankle-deep water while older kids snorkel along the rock walls. Each lagoon has restrooms, showers, and some shade. Sea turtles frequently visit the lagoons which is always a thrill. Lagoons 1 and 4 are the least crowded.

A small, sheltered crescent beach in Wailea that offers some of the easiest and best snorkeling on Maui south shore. The reef starts just offshore and the water is clear and calm most of the year. Sea turtles are frequently spotted grazing on the rocks to the right side of the beach. The beach has restrooms, showers, and a grassy area for picnics. It is less crowded than nearby Wailea Beach and the snorkeling is better. The sandy entry makes it comfortable for kids. A perfect morning snorkeling spot before exploring the rest of the Wailea Beach Path.