North shore beaches - Ha’ena beach park and Tunnels beach

Two other outstanding beaches on the north shore are Ha’ena Beach Park and Tunnels (Makau) Beach. Visitors and locals alike love these beaches and if you continue reading you will find out why!

Ha’ena Beach Park
This beautiful beach has coarse sand and absolutely no reef protection. The benefit of the coarse sand is that it is very easy to remove from your body simply by wiping it off. It’s not like the fine sand that sticks to your body for days. The problem with the lack of reef protection is that swimming can be very dangerous. Even on calm days when the waves appear to be small they can pack quite a punch. So, all but expert swimmers should avoid swimming here and even they should consider swimming in a safer location.

All the facilities you might need are available at Ha’ena Beach Park, which is nice to know ahead of time. Also, if you have a county permit then you can camp on the beach at Ha’ena Beach Park.

Tunnels (Makau) Beach
If you like snorkeling then Tunnels Beach is the place for you. In fact, this is one of Kauai’s best snorkeling areas. The safety aspect is that a large reef provides protection from the strong ocean and fringes the beach. In fact, this reef is so large that it is visible from space. The currents are generally mild although a lap current does present itself on a regular basis. Overall, Tunnels Beach is a great place to snorkel on almost all occasions. Of course, you should always be looking out for rough water or a storm, but the majority of the time presents Tunnels Beach as a great place to snorkel.

There is not much street parking available so usually the beach does not get too crowded. Although, surfers, windsurfers, and SCUBA divers do show up at this beach on a daily basis. If you want to make sure you have a parking space show up early. Don’t park on the road if no spaces are available because you will receive a ticket. If you really want to hang out at this beach and there are no spots then you can take Alealea Street right before the eight-mile marker and park near the sand. You will have about a half-mile walk ahead of you, but it is beautiful and good exercise.

Not to mention that the underwater life you will see upon snorkeling at Tunnels Beach is simply breathtaking. It is worth a whole lot more than a half-mile walk and you will surely enjoy it. On most all occasions there are many varieties of ocean life for your viewing pleasure and that is why this beach is so popular!

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