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Lumahai Beach

On the north side of the island of Kauai, just west of Hanalei Bay is a little beach called Lumahai. You can park along the road and walk down a well maintained trail to the beach. The beach is quite different from most of the others in this area as it slopes steeply into the ocean. This affects the wave motions, preventing them from breaking in the usual way. Watching them you can see that the water that is receding back to the sea is moving very fast, pushing against the incoming wave so that just as the wave crests, at the point it would normally break and wash onto the shore, the receding wave stops it and it just kind of collapses and washes onto the shore, without ever breaking. Here is a picture of it, just at the point most waves would break.



I was at this beach in the late Spring and the surf was fairly mild. I can imagine in the Winter when the surf is much larger on the north shore that the wave action at this beach would be spectacular.  Because of the steepness of the beach the rip tides are reported to be quite treacherous here.
On the east end of this beach there is a jetty of rocks shooting out from shore toward the west. As we were there at sunset it was a natural to climb up on these rocks to see what the scenery looked like from there. It was a natural for shooting sunset.



Unfortunately we were not able to shoot all the way through the setting sun as the tide was coming in and being on this rock ledge was not a good idea should a big wave wash over it with us out there.

We later learned that the locals call this beach “him a die” because so many people have been killed by the surf here, especially people who go out on the ledge we were on and get washed off or those who are unaware of the strength of the rip tides. It is a reminder that when at the beach it always pays to keep one eye on what the surf is doing.
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  1. chesterdkAugust 13, 2014 at 6:46 AM

    If you rent South Pacific, you can see Lumahai Beach in the background as Mitzi Gaynor washes "that man right out of [her] hair." It frequently appears on lists of the world's most beautiful beaches. I've snorkeled there many times. The little rock island just off the beach is teaming with sea life. It's one of my favorite places on earth. Your photos are beautiful Bob.

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  2. Notes To My Mother 2023September 3, 2014 at 3:00 PM

    Dan, thank you for the comments on Lumahai Beach. It is indeed beautiful and now I will have to rent the movie! We are going back next year, have rented a house in Princeville and will spend two weeks, photographing, snorkeling, spending time with family - pretty much in that order :) Will check out the little rock island.

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