Kauai Beach – Anini
Anini Beach is one of the safest and most protected places to swim on the North Shore of Kauai. A fringed reef runs the entire length of the beach and creates a beautiful and calm blue lagoon. This reef is one of the longest and widest reefs in Hawaii measuring 1,600 feet at its widest point. The beach itself stretches for about two miles.
The flat waves and shallow, sandy shore make Anini the ideal beach to visit if you have children. The reef ensures Anini beach has calm ocean conditions, and is one of the few beaches that can offer swimming during large winter waves. Anini’s consistent breeze also allows great windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Because of its calm waves and rich underwater life, many consider Anini Beach Park one of the best snorkeling spots on Kauai. The lagoon is home to numerous trigger fish (humuhumunukunukuapuaa), parrot fish (uhu), unicorn fish (kala), boxer fish, damsel fish and other tropical fish. On the northwestern part of the beach near the reef, there is also a sudden 60-foot drop diving spot.
Great swimming
Snorkeling
Windsurfing and Kitesurfing
Sandy bottom near shore
Shade Trees
No lifeguard
Restrooms
Showers
Picnic pavilions
Campsites
Boat ramp
Directions: Driving North on Kuhio Hwy 56, pass the town of Kilauea, then down into Kalihiwai Valley, over the bridge at mile marker 25, and up the other side. Turn right on to Kalihiwai Road, and then left on Anini Road. It is 1 mile to Anini Beach Park, and more of the beach continues further down the road.
Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out.
Kauai Beach – Kealia
Kealia Beach is a popular local beach found just north of Kapa’a with a wide expanse of sand stretching a half mile along the shore. The nearshore ocean bottom is a long sand bar with varying depths, creating a steady shore break year-round for surfers and bodyboarders. But these same features produce powerful waves and rip currents in the middle of the beach. A rocky outcrop at either end of the beach protect it from high swells coming from many directions.
The lifeguards patrol the beach to make sure all swimmers enjoy themselves at the north end of the beach which is protected by a black lava rock breakwater. This part of the beach was once used by inter-island steamships bringing supplies for plantations, docking in the protection of the jetty, formerly called Kealia Landing.
The coastal bike path Ke Ala Hele Makalae (The Path that Goes by the Coast) provides a cement surface that is wide, smooth, and very easy to travel. This scenic path allows everyone to easily walk or ride alongside breathtakingly beautiful ocean and beaches from Lihue to Anahola.
Lifeguards
Strong currents, and riptides
Swimming at North end
Bodyboarding
Surfing
Sheltered Picnic Tables
Restrooms
Bike Path
Directions: Driving North on Highway 56, Kealia Beach is about one mile outside of Kapa’a at mile marker 10.
Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out.
Kauai Beach – Secret
Secret Beach (Kauapea) is on the north shore of Kauai and is known for its seclusion, size, and beauty. It is nestled at the base of a sheer 100 foot high cliff and is well off the beaten track with no public roads leading to it. You must hike down a fairly steep, rocky trail for about ten minutes (which is very slick when wet). On the way down you can see a glimpse of a magnificent stretch of sand and a shining turquoise sea. Once on the beach there are great views of the Kilauea Lighthouse and Moku’ae’ae Island – part of the National Wildlife Refuge.
This 3000 foot long expanse of golden sand is a popular spot for sunbathing, boogie boarding, and sometimes swimming with dolphins that also like to ride the waves. As with many Kauai beaches the ocean at Secret Beach tends to be rougher in the winter and is subject to extremely strong currents. It is sometimes swimable during the summer, but seldom suitable for novice swimmers. At times, there is a shallow, sandy tide pool. In winter, much of the sand on this beach will disappear from huge crashing waves.
Secret Beach is one of the most picturesque beaches on Kauai – with its blue water, long stretches of golden sand, and black lava rock. The beach’s seclusion is further enhanced by the sheer cliff backdrop, ironwood trees, and tropical plants. And the ocean floor is mostly covered with sand.
Dirt parking
No facilities
No Lifeguard
Rescue Tube
Swimming
Surfing
Sunbathing
Bodyboarding
Shelling
Directions: Take Highway 56 (Kuhio Highway) north about a half-mile past Kilauea and turn right on Kalihiwai Road. Then after about 75 yards turn right on a dirt road and follow it to the end and park. Nearby is the foot path leading to the west end of the beach.
Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out.
Rip Current Safety
The best way to be safe on Kauai beaches is to understand the danger of rip currents, learn to identify them, and then avoid them altogether. However, if you do find yourself in a rip current, here are some tips to help save you.
Don’t fight the current
Rip current speeds are typically 1 to 2 feet per second. However, speeds as high as 8 feet per second have been measured. Since this is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint, rip currents can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea. Don’t panic, conserve energy, float, breathe, and wave for help.
Swim out of the current, then to shore
A swimmer caught in a rip current should not attempt to swim back to shore directly against the rip. This risks exhaustion and drowning. A rip does not pull a swimmer under water – it carries the swimmer away from the shore in a narrow channel of water. Swim parallel to the shoreline, and when out of the current, swim at an angle towards shore.
If you can’t escape, float or tread water
A swimmer in a strong rip, who is unable to swim away from it, should relax and calmly float or tread water to conserve energy. Eventually the rip will lose strength, and the swimmer can swim at a leisurely pace, in a direction away from the rip but back to shore.
If you need help, call or wave for assistance
Drowning deaths usually occur when people are unable to keep themselves afloat and swim back to shore. This may be due to fear, panic, exhaustion, a lack of swimming skills, or any combination of these factors. Wave your hands for help and wait for assistance.
The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that rip currents account for over 80% of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards. They have also calculated that the chance a person will drown while attending a beach protected by USLA affiliated lifeguards is 1 in 18 million.
Rip Current Formation
Beach safety on Kauai requires an understanding of how rip currents form. Rip currents are fast-moving belts of water traveling offshore that develop from interactions between waves and currents, waves and water levels, waves and the shape of the nearshore bottom, as well as wave to wave.
Rip currents can occur along any coastline that features breaking waves. As waves travel from deep to shallow water, they eventually break near the shoreline causing an increase in water level, generating currents that flow along the shore. One of the ways this water is funneled out to sea is through rip currents flowing offshore against the incoming waves.
Under certain wave, tide, and beach profile conditions the speeds can quickly increase to become dangerous to anyone entering the surf. The strength and speed of a rip current will likely increase as wave height and wave period increase. The seaward pull of rip currents varies: sometimes the rip current ends just beyond the line of breaking waves, but sometimes rip currents continue to push hundreds of yards offshore.
It is important to understand that changes in rip current velocity can occur very rapidly with random increases in incoming wave heights and water levels. Water depths can rapidly increase in rip current channels, catching unwary beachgoers and swimmers off-guard.
Rip currents can be extremely dangerous, dragging swimmers away from the beach. A person standing waist deep in water can be dragged into deeper waters, where they can drown if they are unable to swim or become exhausted while fighting the ocean current. Taking time to understand rip currents can help protect you and your family when visiting Kauai beaches.
Kauai Beach – Lumahai
Lumaha’i Beach is located on the North Shore of Kauai just around the bend from Hanalei Bay. This beach is nearly a mile long with a nice sandy shoreline for beach walking, and can be accessed from either end.
The eastern end requires a short 100 yard walk through the jungle. The trail drops you right out onto a beautiful tropical scene who’s stardom came when Mitzi Gaynor “washed that man right out of her hair” in the musical South Pacific. Lava rocks and green vegetation are scattered around the beach turning this area into its own little crescent-shaped cove called Kahalahala, and separating it from the rest of the beach.
One mile down the road there is dirt parking under ironwood trees with Lumaha’i Stream on the left and several hundred feet of sand down to the ocean. But, the serenity stops at the ocean. Since there are no protective reefs off shore, the beach is totally exposed to the open ocean. Powerful rip currents, hard shore breaks, and strong waves make it one of the most dangerous beaches on Kauai.
This beautiful beach is great for beachcombing, sunbathing, or picnicking. The Lumaha’i Stream is calm, and the eastern end of the beach is sometimes calm in the summer, but make no mistake about it, the surf conditions are dangerous here. Even small waves that look relatively harmless can be incredibly powerful and carry you out to sea. There are no lifeguards, and Rescue Tubes have been placed at either end of the beach.
- Sandy beach
- Shady areas
- Swimming is usually dangerous (especially in winter)
- Swimming is calm in the Lumahai Stream
- No facilities
- No lifeguards
- Rescue Tube at either end
Directions:
Take Highway 560 (Kuhio Highway) north past Princeville and Hanalei. Approximately .75 miles past mile marker 4 is a sharp bend in the road with dirt parking on the right and a trail down to the eastern end. One mile further just before you get to Lumahai River you can park on the right underneath the ironwood trees at the western end of the beach.
Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out.
