NOTES: Southwest of Lihue and southeast of Koloa on Kauai, the snorkeling at Poi'pu Beach County Park is very popular with tourists. The Poipu Beach snorkeling can be a crowded affair, especially at high tide. At Poipu Beach Park, there are two twin coves. The best Poipu snorkeling it in the righthand, western cove. While snorkeling off Poipu Beach, you may encounter green sea turtles, monk seals, butterflyfish, moorish idols, wrasse and eels. Since some of the sand is trucked in, water clarity can be an issue here.
There are several large public parking areas, but they do fill up quickly in the morning.
To reach the Poipu Beach snorkeling from Koloa, head south on Poipu Road. Turn right on Ho'owili Road to the end where there are two parking lots for Poi'pu Beach County Park.
Before snorkeling at Poipu Beach, make sure to check the current surf report. The waters off Kauai are known for potentially strong currents, high surf and rogue waves. Luckily, there are excellent up-to-date surf reports that can provide guidance on these adverse conditions. In addition to changing surf conditions, a Poipu Beach snorkeling dive may expose you to sharp coral reefs and you may encounter sharks, such as whitetip reef sharks, galapagos sharks and tiger sharks.
For more details on Poipu Beach snorkeling, we highly recommend the Kauai Snorkeling Guide eBook.
Additional printed reading material on Poipu Beach snorkeling
can be found in Snorkel Kauai
by from Judy Malinowski.
|
