Kalihiwai Bay Beach Photos
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Kalihiwai Bay Beach, Kauai
Kalihiwai Beach is a wide, white-sand beach and is located at the head of Kalihiwai Bay about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the town of Kilauea on Kauai’s north shore. The beach is fed by the Kalihiwai River and enclosed by lava cliffs on each side. It is fringed by grassy spots and shady ironwood trees standing in the backshore. Some days, spinner dolphins can also be spotted from the shoreline. Another way to enjoy your visit to the beach is rent a kayak and paddle up the Kalihiwai River to the waterfalls.
The only time you can safely swim on the beach is in summer when the waves are smaller and the ocean is calm. An alternative option is to take a dip instead in the shallow tide pools. More often, however, the tide pools are used by locals for fishing or raft-floating. If you want to snorkel, try the far eastern end of the bay. However, don’t expect to see as many corals and fish as you would in premier snorkeling spots such as Tunnels and Kee Beach.
There is a shallow, underwater rock shelf that extends from the cliffs, which provides one of the north shore’s most popular surf breaks. Surfers gather along the rocky base of Kapukaamoi Point, the eastern point of the bay and ride to shore very close to the sea cliff. The waves in the winter months are very steep and break fast and are only something for experts. This is also when the water conditions are very dangerous due to the pounding shorebreak, powerful backwash and strong rip currents. During the calmer summer months, the beach is a good spot for bodyboarding, wave jumping, beginner surfing and shoreline fishing.
Kalihiwai Bay Beach Overview
- Good for bodyboarding and beginning surfers in the summer
- Has shallow tide pools for shoreline fishing and floating on a raft
- Popular surfing spot in the winter (high and dangerous waves)
Location: Kalihiwai Road, Kauai, Hawaii Directions: From Kilauea, take Highway 56. Take a right on Kalihiwai Road, which is located before Mile Marker 24. Kalihiwai is approximately 1 mile away.
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