The are plenty of resources on the internet for learning more about the beaches of Kaua’i such as this one; https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/kauai/things-to-do/beaches. Here are some of the beaches I was able to see during my 2023 visit to this beautiful Hawaiian island.

North Shore

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Coconut Beach

I’m not really sure if the beach at my hotel had a formal name, but stealing the name from the area of the island I was on seemed appropriate. It was so nice to walk from the pool then out onto the sand and into the water.

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Wander off to the left a little bit and there is a big palm tree trunk to sit on.

Walk to the shoreline down here, and if the tide is out, you’ll find some nice tidal pools to explore.

Saw some little fish, including some cool gobies, a couple of sea cucumbers (can you see the one above?), and a few tiny crabs (watch the movie below).

It was a little less rocky off to the right. Plus you get some beautiful scenery looking south.

Kilauea Lighthouse

The lighthouse was closed on the day I drove up to it, but you get to see this spectacular view only feet from the parking lot.

Hanalei Bay

There is a pier on the northeast corner of the bay that is nice to walk out on. It is right next to the river emptying into the bay.

Nice views looking out into the ocean.

Looking back to the south, you can see the beautiful mountains and the beach at the base of the bay.

Wainiha Bay

There is a roadside park on Wainiha Bay that offers beautiful views to this beach.

South Shore

Ninini Beach

Iconic Hawaiian beach in the town of Lihue with surf classes happening all the time.

Brennecke’s Beach

Right next to the very popular Poipu Beach, sits this gem. From the pictures, it probably looks like it is awesome because of the big waves onto the beach (and crashing onto the rocks).

Yes, those are cool, but more fun was watching the huge sea turtles surfing just under the waves and occasionally surfacing. I was NOT as productive with my camera as I was 5 years ago while Whale Watching off Maui. Pretty pictures nonetheless.

Spouting Horn

Traveling along the shoreline to the west lets you see this cool blowhole from a nice park and observation deck.

Glass Beach

They say no visit to Kaua’i would be complete without at least a quick visit to Glass Beach.

Pāʻulaʻula

This site is mostly know as the Russian Fort Elizabeth and if you wander down a little dirt trail you’ll hit this interesting little beach.

Kekaha Beach

Truthfully, I would not have found this big and wide beach if I didn’t miss my turn to see Waimea Canyon. I’m glad I did get to walk out to the ocean on this expansive beach.