Kauai Beaches and Rescue Tubes
Rescue Tubes have been installed on Kauai’s beaches to help distressed swimmers in areas where lifeguards are not stationed, or at times when they are not on duty. Because of strong rip currents around the island, more people on Kauai have died in the ocean than on the highway.
Since the Rescue Tube Foundation installed the first tube more than two years ago, 37 Rescue Tube saves have been reported. Rescue Tubes stand guard 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
In 2009, 67 tubes were installed, and 7 lives were saved.
In 2010, 107 tubes were installed, and 15 lives were saved.
In 2011, 162 tubes were installed, and 15 lives were saved.
Rescue Tubes are there for all of us. When you see a Rescue Tube, take a closer look and become familiar with it. Explain them to your family, friends, and visitors. Visit Rescue Tube Foundation for more information. Enjoy our beautiful beaches and stay safe on Kauai. Please remember: When in doubt, don’t go out. Check our Kauai Surf Report.
Hawaii Watermen Hall of Fame 2010
The Hawaii Watermen Hall of Fame is about paying tribute to the deserving watermen and women of Hawaii. The nine honorees of this inaugural class include three legends – Eddie Aikau, Rell Sun, and of course Duke Kahanamoku. The other six are well-known veteran Island watermen – Wally Froiseth, Fred Hemmings, Buffalo Keaulana, Rabbit Kekai, Keo Nakama, Nappy Napolean.
Eddie Aikau – Surfing, Lifeguard
Rell Sunn – Surfing, Paddling, Lifeguard
Duke Kahanamoku – Surfing, Swimming, Canoe Paddling
Wally Froiseth – Surfing, Canoe Paddling
Fred Hemmings – Surfing
Buffalo Keaulana – Surfing, Lifeguard
Rabbit Kekai – Surfing, Canoe Paddling
Keo Nakama – Swimming
Nappy Napolean – Canoe Paddling
Hawaii has a rich history of producing some of the world’s best athletes in water sports, and these first inductees into the Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame will set the bar very high. This display will serve as a future Who’s Who of the Hawaii waterman community.
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.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
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.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
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.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
Kauai Beach Safety
The beaches of Kauai offer the opportunity for just about any beach activity or water sport, but wind, ocean, and current conditions can range from extremely safe to extremely dangerous. Be safe:
- Talk to lifeguards to determine the safety level of the ocean.
- Find out about surf and wind conditions for the day.
- Find out about strong currents and waves that surge onto beaches.
- Find out about waves that break directly on the shore (shore break).
- Find out about hidden rocks.
- Be extra careful at unguarded beaches.
- When in doubt… don’t go out.
Before entering the water, remember to SOAK:
- Study the conditions before entering the water.
- Observe the activities of others in the ocean.
- Ask the lifeguards about current conditions.
- Know your limits in the water.
Waves make currents that can be dangerous. Rip currents in the surf zone can carry you out to sea. A wave rushing up a beach (wave surge) can knock you down and drag you into the ocean. Large waves on rocky shores can knock you into the ocean.
For any ocean activity, it’s also important to distinguish between onshore and offshore winds. Onshore winds (blowing toward the shore) create more choppy conditions but are safer for some activities since you will get blown back to shore in the event of trouble. Offshore winds (blowing away from shore) make for calmer conditions near shore since the waters are being sheltered by the land. However, getting beyond the protection of the land puts you on a windblown path out to sea.
Check our Kauai Surf Report.
