Sierra Club Kauai Hiking Outing 2012
Kauai Beaches and Rescue Tubes
Aloha Shirt Postage Stamps
Humpback Whale Ocean Count 2012
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary offers you a chance to monitor Humpback Whales from the shores of Oahu, Hawaii and Kauai. Volunteers count the number of humpback whales which can be seen around the islands over a four-hour period and record their behavior. The 2012 count will be held the last Saturday of January, February, and March from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
This year, on January 28, February 25, and March 31, the Sanctuary Ocean Count will be conducted at over 60 different shore sites around the islands (15 different sites around Kaua‘i). The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which is jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawai`i, lies within the shallow warm waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands and constitutes one of the world’s most important humpback whale habitats.
Scientists estimate that 12,000 swim to Hawaii’s waters to mate and nurse their young, typically between September and March. Since 2006, the annual count has tracked a steady rise in the humpback whale population visiting the sanctuary. Visit Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary for details.
Hawaiian Reef Fish and Japanese Angelfish
Japanese Angelfish (Centropyge interruptus) are a rare Hawaiian reef fish found on reefs and ledges deeper than 60 feet in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands of Kure, Midway, and Pearl & Hermes. Like Potter’s Angelfish, they live in small groups of one male and several females. In addition to algae and detritus, they feed on the feces of plankton-eating damselfish, and are usually found where these are abundant.
It has an orange-yellow body with purplish blue spots completed with a bright yellow tail. In bright waters, the oranges and blues of this fish are electric. The spots are larger towards the tail, and the bottom part the rear of the fish gradually becomes purple. Males have more blue on the head than females and the margins of their soft dorsal and anal fins are blue with horizontal black markings. Blue facial dots become lines on males, and they can attain a length 6 inches.
Kauai Beaches and Haena Beach Park
Heana Beach Park is another great reason to visit the North Shore of Kauai. Located near the end of the road, the park sits at the edge of the Na Pali coast, and the presence of Mount Makana looming directly behind the beach is the major factor contributing to the magnificent look of the beach. Haena Beach Park is a favorite camping spot for both visitors and locals. It is a small park (about 5.5 acres) which offers a grassy picnic area with tables and benches, restrooms, cold showers, shady trees and camping spots.
The wide bay offshore is bordered by two large reefs, Makua Reef to the east and Hauwa Reef to the west, but the beach itself is completely exposed to the open ocean. During periods of high surf, waves funnel unchecked directly into the beach, creating dangerous water conditions – particularly a pounding shore break, and powerful rip currents. The sudden drop off and undertow make swimming in the winter months pretty much out of the question, but there are lifeguards on duty to advise you. Better swimming and snorkeling is just a short walk to Tunnels Beach and can be enjoyed year round.
Waikanaloa Wet Cave, with a large and still water pool, and its counterpart the Maniniholo Dry Cave is also near the beach. Limahuli National Tropical Garden is also nearby. The garden is a great treasure of rare native Hawaiian plants built in terraces. The trailhead to the Kalalau Trail is also just north of the park.
Good for picnics
Camping with permit
Beachcombing
Showers
Restrooms
Swimming
Surfing
Bodyboarding
Directions: Haena Beach Park is located only about a mile from Ke’e Beach (the end point of highway 56).
Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
