Shipwreck Beach

Poʻipu


Unless you’re an expert surfer, bodyboarder or bodysurfer, keep your feet dry at ‘Shipwrecks,’ the half-mile crescent of light gold sand that skirts Keoneloa Bay in front of the Grand Hyatt. Row after row of waves crash close to shore, giving Shipwrecks a rugged, untamed feel, so it’s best to simply enjoy an invigorating walk. This is the starting point for the hike along the magnificent Maha‘ulepu Coast.

Rocky Makahuena Point to the west, covered with condos, is the southernmost tip of Kauaʻi. Makawehi Point, the gigantic lithified sand dune that looms immediately east, is famous as a site for daredevil cliff-jumpers, many of whom have been seriously injured or even killed.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Poʻipu attractions

1. Makawehi Point

0.2 MILES

This gigantic lithified sand dune towers east of Shipwreck Beach, overlooking Keoneloa Bay. Resist the urge to jump off the cliffs; people have died.

2. Makahuena Point

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West of Shipwreck Beach, condo-covered Makahuena Point is the southernmost tip of Kauaʻi.

3. Brennecke's Beach

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With a sandbar bottom and a notch of sand and sea wedged between two lava rock outcrops, this little beach flanks the eastern edge of Po‘ipu Beach Park…

4. Kanei‘olouma

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The site of a pre-contact Hawaiian village just inland from Po‘ipu Beach was set aside by the county in 2010. You can’t enter the complex, which is being…

5. Poʻipu Beach Park

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There are no monster waves or idyllic solitude at the South Shore's most popular beach, but it's a go-to spot with something for everyone. Patrolled by…

6. Poʻipu Beach

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This long swath of prime sand west of Po‘ipu Beach Park is open to all, even if it does stretch right in front of the hotel and condo complexes from which…

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