Tunnels (Mākua) BeachNorth Shore, Kauaʻi, HI

Visibility is an estimate — wind, rain, tide & water alerts.

Getting in

Shore access, walk in off the sand

Depth

3 to 25 ft

Snorkeling

Snorkelable from the beach

Best conditions

Summer, roughly May to September, when North Shore surf is small and the inner reef stays calm. Snorkel only on flat days and stay shoreward of the waves breaking on the outer reef.

Parking

Very limited. The small lot at the beach access about 0.6 miles past mile marker 8 fills early, so most people park at Haena Beach Park half a mile west and walk.

Protection

Within the Haena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area, where selling or commercially taking marine life is banned and fishing gear is heavily restricted. The Makua Puuhonua, the water inside the fringing reef of Makua lagoon, is closed to entry without a DLNR special activity permit, and that applies to people as well as vessels. The open reef in front of the beach is the snorkelling zone.

Watch for

Winter North Shore swell, about October to April, breaks over the shallow reef with heavy surge and strong current, and the water is often too dangerous to enter at all, On high surf, water pushed over the reef drains back out through the two channels as powerful seaward currents, Rescues and drownings happen here year after year; safety reporting calls it one of the most rescued-at beaches on Kauai, No lifeguard at Tunnels. The nearest tower is at Haena Beach Park, half a mile west, staffed 9am to 5pm, Sharp coral, with waves breaking straight onto shallow ledges

Checked 2026-07-19. Sources: Hawaii DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, Safe to Swim Hawaii, Kauai Explorer.