Ocean waters, etc. at winter time

Can anyone out there answer this for me? We are planning a family trip to Kauai next December (early, not during Christmas). We have found a few rental houses on the beach in northern Kauai but are a little concerned that 1)it will rain constantly, 2) the water will be so rough we can%26#39;t swim (just dip our toes in basically) and 3) the wind will be unbearable.

Anyone have any insight into this. We are looking into the tunnels beach and Princeville areas.

Thank you in advance!

-suzette

Ocean waters, etc. at winter time

It%26#39;s never possible to predict exactly what the weather will be like at any given time, but your concerns are well founded. You may get very little rain, or it may rain every day if a storm hits. Usually you will get passing showers with more rain at night. The tradewinds aren%26#39;t really that bad and come from the northeast. Without them, things can get pretty warm and sticky.

The surf is what you should be more concerned with. In the summer, areas like Tunnels can be flat to a couple of feet. By the end of October, the surf can be 6-12 feet, and by December even higher. The past couple of weeks there were surf advisories with waves of 15-25 feet on the north and west facing shores. Even though areas like Tunnels are somewhat protected by a reef, this still isn%26#39;t swimming weather!

You could certainly stay on the north shore and travel south if you really want to swim, or you could just lounge around the beach and watch the ocean!

Ocean waters, etc. at winter time

Kwills,

I am going to Haneali bay resort in the middle of Feburary .Could you tell me if the water will be as rough ? also what do you think of Hanalai bay resort .should I go to princevill Luai? can I also swim in the pools or do you think water is to cold in the middle of feb?

Another relatively calm spot on the north shore of Kauai is Anini Beach - just east of Princeville, which is reef protected and fairly calm. It%26#39;s the place in Hawaii that most reminds me of the lanquid lagoons of the South Pacific.

Ken

PS - Hanalei Bay itself struck me as being more likely to be rough than either tunnels or Anini. Fortunately neither is too far away.

Lord Balfor (aka Ken) thanks for mentioning Anini for snorkeling and reminding you of the lagoons of the South Pacific, which are our favorite. I enjoyed reading your posts about French Polynesia and learned lots from you. Thomas Marshall also emailed me his Kauai favorites last year when I told him we were going to be in Kauai in Feb. He also mentioned Anini for snorkeling. Just hope the weather and ocean cooperate for good snorkeling.

Lizardlover -

You%26#39;re quite welcome. Next time we return to Kauai, it%26#39;s my intention to rent a house in the Anini area - and while of course there is no guarentee that the water will be calm enough for snorkeling, chances are better than probably anywhere else on the beautiful North Shore. Well worth the risk in my opinion - even in February.

Ken

Snorkeling at Anini can range from rather good to pretty much nothing there. It gets quite windy most afternoons and can be a little rough, especially for kids. In a stiff east wind you might try Kalihiwai beach - off first Kalihiwai Road. It tends to be a little more protected from a true east wind.

South shore is probably better for December; more likely to be consistently calm. Some decent snorkeling spots, too.

You might want to consider either staying in the Po%26#39;ipu area or somewhere on the east side, which gives you pretty easy access to both north and south shores.

pzp, thanks for the hint, we just might have to try snorkeling there also. I learned to snorkel at Poipu back in 1990 amd I remember how terrified I was that first time and now I am a snorkel fiend!

We were in Kauai for two weeks in Nov. We spent second week at northshore. We were not planning on spending lot of time snorkeling because there was so much to see. But, on our last two days, we did snorkel at tunnels, the second day in the rain. We did not have high surf although there were some in close caps. But once past them, it was calm. There were at least a dozen or so people there at the time. We first went to Anini as I had read that it was calmer. When we got there, it was raining pretty steady, and seemed rough. Noone was in the water so we decided to try tunnels again, which we did. I%26#39;m not a surf or snorkeling expert, but just relaying our recent experience. Lots of good local views on these things. Good luck. A house rental near anini sounds like what I was thinking for next time.