Lawai Beach

This was a great snorkeling beach (but the beach area itself is small). We saw the most fish and sea turtles at this beach. There is a small parking lot and bathroom and even has a small refreshment stand. Please be very careful here . My husband and I were caught in a dangerous rip current that ran parallel with the shore. Do not swim too far to the right. We were swept 1000 feet down to the next beach and had to scramble out on jagged rocks with pounding surf and got a bit beat up. It was very scary. There are no lifeguards here, and no warnings about the dangerous rip tides. We visited twice and the first time the waters were quite calm. The second time it was windy here, but we did not expect the dangerous rip current. It was like trying to swim against a very fast river which was nearly impossible. We talked to a lifeguard at the nearby Poipu beach, and he said that there are lots of drownings at Lawa’i Beach and that just the day before they had to perform a resuscitation. Consider bringing flotation assistance, always swim with a buddy that is a strong swimmer and don’t venture too far to the right and you should be ok.

The entry is very easy down the sandy beach. If you have geared up at your car, help your buddy down to the beach level. You can see several channels to make your way out to deeper water. Be careful of the breakers along the reef edge during periods of rougher seas.

So far so good, the beach seems like it has receded since I was there last but it just comes to show you that even the ocean is alive. I snorkeled in Nov 21, 09 and the water and currents were very reasonable. It may seem scary at first, but do yourself a favor and go beyond the surfline. Turtles and schools of fish await you. If you stay within the calm zone all you will see are unhappy and dying corals because people touch these delicate creatures after applying sunscreen.

04/05/2009 - This was my second trip to Kauai in the past 5 years. Both trips involved at least 5 snorkeling beaches. I tried Lawai Beach on both trips and it was one of the top snorkeling spots both times. Plenty of fish to see, clear water, easy entry, turtles near the beach, low surf, nice parking and facilities. For snorkelers, I would recommend this beach any time you are in Kauai.

We snorkeled here 12/31/07. It was better than the previous day at Poipu beach. Needless to say, I think the heavy rains, winds (normal for this time of year I am told) coupled with what looks like poorly planned development along the coastline makes for poor snorkeling and shore diving conditions. The beach is tiny and crowded. There were a few paltry schools of tangs, and some parrots and needle fish, but not much else. Overall, this made us realize Kauai is not the best island for Winter water activity. If you like golfing or shopping (I don't), maybe it is ok….I guess that is why my aqua heart is on the Big Island. I am no marine biologist, but the few reefs I saw on Kauai look to be near dead or in trouble...I hope they do something.

This was my first time snorkeling experience. Very impressed with the amount and variety of fish and assorted sea creatures at this location (including an octopus and a small eel). It was a fairly calm day so easy entry and exiting. Restroom and shower facilities are across the street. SeaFun Kauai provides a great beginner snorkeling experience.

At the beach on 9/5. It was impossible to snorkel because of choppy water and there was terrible visibility under water, probably because of the "swirl" in the South Shore water during those few days.

My wife and I stayed at Kahuna Plantation beach house, just a mile or two away from Lawai Beach, and snorkeled just about everywhere else on Kauai because the beach house reef looked boring- We decided to stay close to home on the last day, and what a great surprise! Only second to Ke'e for aquatic variety.

During our Honeymoon, we snorkeled all over Kauai. Lawai was an easy place to experience great snorkeling. The fish variety we saw at Lawai was unparalleled elsewhere in Kauai.

This was my best snorkeling experience. Good clear water, lots of fish, eels, etc. I tried Prince Kuhio just east of this and got cut up pretty bad on the rocks at entry; however, Lawai was great. Also, the variety of really colorful fish was great.

Some of the best snorkeling on Kauai. This is where the tours take their clients for about $60 each. Watch for strong currents flowing out and west. Stay on the east side of the bay. Love to snorkel, Gary

Shallow bottom, lots of fish, turtles and eels abound. Safe within the reef protected areas.

Snorkeled this area twice in different years. Great variety of fish, eels and even some squid and turtles. Relatively shallow. 3-15ft depth is great for snorkeling.