"Being on the beach in Hawaii - feeling the warm sand between your toes and the soft caress of a fragrant breeze as you watch the irresistible curl of a perfect wave - tends to push thoughts of serious scientific research to the far right side of the brain.

My criteria for picking the top four spots as the best family beaches in Hawaii are straightforward: good public access, safe swimming, scenery, ample shade, good picnic and rest-room facilities, nearby beach equipment rental shops, and a lifeguard.

The four best beaches in Hawaii are Oahu's Kailua Beach Park, Poipu Beach Park of Kauai, Hapuna Beach State on the Big Island and Kamaole Beach Parks in Maui.

Kamaole Beach Parks, Maui.

While the Kamaole Beach Parks - numbered I, II, and III - have long stretches of fine sand washed by gently lapping wavelets and a view that includes the sere slopes of Lanai emerging from a sapphire sea, what draws residents to these south Maul beaches is the variety of activities they offer.

Volleyball players spike and dive on the sand court at Kamaole I, where beginning surfers often find good swells near the canoe launch. Among the rocky reefs between Kamaole I and Kamaole II, snorkelers search for sea turtles and parrot fish. Off the broad sandy swath at Kamaole III, swimmers stroke through the calm shallows, while on the sloping lawn picnickers fire up the grills as they savor a sunset or watch the colorful kites overhead. In winter, beachgoers at all three parks keep an eye out for humpback whales that migrate to these waters from Alaska.

Frankly, I never thought about whales during my customary early-morning swims at Kamaole I until one day three years ago. That particular March dawn was calm, and as I churned along watching fish cruise the sandy bottom through my mask, I suddenly heard the faint strains of what sounded like a wildly wavering French horn. Somewhere out in the great blue, a lone humpback whale was pouring his song into the deep.

What are the odds of being serenaded by a whale? Stretching out on smooth, almost silky sand, warmed by the sun rising behind the palms, I closed my eyes and filed that calculation on the far right side of my brain."