Hawah Beach occupies the middle crescent between Lighthouse Beach to the south and Samudra to the north, separated from each by rocky outcrops that you can scramble across at low tide. It is where the working fishing village survives most visibly. In the early morning, before the swimmers and sunbathers arrive, the fishermen haul in their nets and sort the catch on the sand. The colourful wooden catamarans drawn up above the tideline are not props — they go out most nights and come in most dawns.
The beach itself is shorter and slightly narrower than Lighthouse Beach, which gives it a more intimate feel. There are fewer restaurants and shops immediately behind it. Swimming is generally safe, and the rock outcrops at either end create calmer water and are good for snorkelling at high tide.
If you want to see the fishing boats launched, set an alarm for 5:30am — the departure is worth witnessing, and the beach at that hour, before the tourist infrastructure wakes up, still feels like the place the 1970s travellers wrote home about.