Off-island

I'm back on the mainland but very definitely plan to get back to Kauaʻi before too long.

In my absence there was a recent hurricane watch for "Flossie" which turned into a tropical depression and just resulting in some heavy rain with lingering wet and cloudy weather.

Recently the GMO debate has ratcheted up on Kauaʻi; today a large public hearing is scheduled for testimony on proposed County Bill 2491 currently in draft. Itʻs a complex issue that brings out the full spectrum of the diverse community. The stakes are magnified playing out on a small island where the chemical companies are seen as either outsiders or saviors providing jobs in a troubled economy.

Sadly, Kauaʻi had another visitor lose their life in the ocean (14 this year). If you visit please do take safety seriously, never turn your back on the ocean, be sure you will be able to return again.

No doubt Kauaʻi will absorb it all somehow. I look forward to returning before long.

Keʻe Beach

If I have to choose a favorite beach on Kauaʻi, this is it. At the very end of the road on the north side, Keʻe is about as close to a natural swimming pool as you will find. Itʻs a snorkeling and shallow water play beach, not a surfing beach. Keʻe beach has a life guard, restrooms, and outside showers.

North shore beaches are usually calm in the summer, and Keʻe is one of the more protected, but especially in the winter the surf can get very big. Outside the reef the current can be strong and thereʻs nothing but ocean north of here for thousands of miles, so always respect the ocean for safety.

The photo (shot from the Kalalau trail which begins right here) shows the beach and reef clearly. Looking out from the beach the right side is where the best snorkeling is, along the inside edge of the reef where it is extremely well protected (provided the ocean is reasonable smooth). You can also snorkel along the rocks on the left side. On the left (obscured by palms in the photo) the reef opens to the ocean. In front of the reef is a big expanse of shallow water ideal for water play.

You can walk down the beach to the right (away from the camera in this photo); further down you may have to walk over some rocks but you can walk at least back to Haena State Park. Thatʻs not a bad beach either and it has wave action but if in the neighborhood I always head for Keʻe myself. Beyond that is the fabled Tunnels beach, ...


Directions: drive north on Kuhio Highway 56 which becomes 560, through Hanalei, past Haena, parking at the end of Highway 560. Arrive early or the parking lot will be full. There is overflow parking in a dirt lot makai of the road a few hundred yards before which also can get full fairly fast. This area daily gets overloaded with visitors and people park haphazardly (ignoring no parking signs) for which I am told you can expect to get a ticket.


More on this area at Saturday north shore day.