Shipwreck Beach runs about 485m (0.5km) along the Kauai coast — a mid-sized beach by Hawaiian standards. It faces south. There are 12 mapped parking areas nearby, the closest about 36m from the sand. On-beach facilities mapped here include toilets, drinking water.
Getting there & parking
Closest mapped parking is about 36m from the sand, with 12 parking areas within 600m. At least one is marked free.
Distances are to the nearest point of the beach. Only formal, mapped parking areas are counted — informal roadside and verge parking is common in Hawaii and is not recorded in OpenStreetMap, so there may be closer options than shown.
What's there
| Toilets | yes nearest 50m |
| Showers | not mapped |
| Drinking water | yes nearest 159m |
| Changing rooms | not mapped |
| BBQ | not mapped |
"Not mapped" means OpenStreetMap has no record — it may still exist on the ground.
Places to eat nearby8 within 1km · nearest 88m
- Tidepools · 88mMo-Su 17:00-21:00
- Seaview Terrace · 129mMo-Su 17:00-21:30
- Stevenson's Library · 147mMo-Su 17:30-22:00
- Ilima Terrace · 151mMo-Su 06:00-14:00
- Hale Nalu · 112mMo-Su 11:00-17:30
- Honolulu Coffee Co. · 130mMo-Su 06:00-13:30
- Captain's Bar · 161mMo-Su 11:00-18:30
- Casa di Amici · 887m
Details from OpenStreetMap tags — hours and offerings change, so check before relying on them.
Where it is
Who it suits
- Families and long days — toilets nearby and parking close to the sand
- Sunset — the sun sets over the water here in 1 months of the year, as late as 5:57pm in December
- Early starts — sunrise is over the water in 5 months, from 6:34am in October
- Eating without driving — 8 places to eat are mapped within 1km
Derived from mapped features, not opinion.
When to go
Driest months are . Warmest are August, September, October.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Rain in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82.2 | 64.6 | – |
| Feb | 81.9 | 64.7 | – |
| Mar | 82.4 | 64.9 | – |
| Apr | 84.4 | 67.6 | – |
| May | 85.9 | 69.6 | – |
| Jun | 86.6 | 72.0 | – |
| Jul | 86.9 | 73.4 | – |
| Aug | 88.7 | 73.3 | – |
| Sep | 88.5 | 73.4 | – |
| Oct | 88.3 | 71.6 | – |
| Nov | 86.0 | 68.8 | – |
| Dec | 83.0 | 67.9 | – |
30-year normals (1991–2020) from NOAA NCEI station MAHAULEPU 941.1, 3.3km away.
Sunrise & sunset at Shipwreck Beach
In June the sun is up at 5:54am and down at 7:22pm — 13h 28m of daylight, the longest days of the year here. By December that shrinks to 7:09am–5:57pm, 10h 48m.
This beach looks south (172°). The sun sets out over the water December; the rest of the year it slides down the coastline or behind the land. The sunset point itself swings about 51° across the year, from WSW in December to WNW in June.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Sun sets toward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7:19am | 6:16pm | 10h 57m | WSW 248° |
| Feb | 7:08am | 6:35pm | 11h 27m | WSW 257° |
| Mar | 6:46am | 6:47pm | 12h 01m | W 268° |
| Apr | 6:18am | 6:58pm | 12h 40m | W 281° |
| May | 5:58am | 7:10pm | 13h 11m | WNW 291° |
| Jun | 5:54am | 7:22pm | 13h 28m | WNW 296° |
| Jul | 6:04am | 7:24pm | 13h 20m | WNW 294° |
| Aug | 6:16am | 7:09pm | 12h 53m | WNW 285° |
| Sep | 6:25am | 6:41pm | 12h 16m | W 273° |
| Oct | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 39m | W 261° |
| Nov | 6:50am | 5:55pm | 11h 05m | WSW 250° |
| Dec | 7:09am | 5:57pm | 10h 48m | WSW 245° |
Times are for the 15th of each month in Hawaii Standard Time. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving, so these hold all year.
Calculated from this beach's coordinates using the NOAA solar position algorithm and checked against US Naval Observatory tables (agreement within a minute). Which direction the sun sets is worked out from the shoreline's orientation, not from the skyline — a headland, an offshore island or high ground behind the beach can hide the last few degrees.
Live view
Nearest camera: Poipu › South-east: Kiahuna Beach - Kala Kai Point
Webcams provided by windy.com · add a webcam
Where to stay
6 hotels, resorts and rentals are mapped within 1.5km of this beach, the closest about 137m away.
Hotels & resorts nearby6 within 1.5km · nearest 137m
- Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort · 137m
- The Sands at Poipu Kai · 314m
- The Point at Poipu · 393m
- Makahuena · 690m
- Regency at Poipu Kai · 718m
- Manualoha Condominiums · 817m
Mapped lodging from OpenStreetMap — not a complete list of what's bookable.
Booking link is an affiliate link — it costs you nothing extra.
Things to do nearby
Attractions & galleries3 within 1.5km
- aFeinberg Photography · 215m
- Ruins · 271m
- Heiau Hoʻouluia · 947m
Rentals & dive shops1 within 2km
- Suite Paradise Vacation Rentals · 1019m
OpenStreetMap rarely records gear rental, so bookable activities are searched via GetYourGuide (affiliate link).
Where Shipwreck Beach ranks
- The best-equipped beaches on Kauai — ranked #11
- Family beaches on Kauai — ranked #8
- Kauai beaches you can park at — ranked #6
Positions come from mapped facilities and shoreline orientation, and each list explains exactly how it is ordered.
Other beaches on Kauai
- Brennecke Beach · 1.4km · 100m long · faces south-west
- Poʻipū Beach · 1.8km · 346m long · faces south-west
- Kiahuna Beach · 2.3km · 368m long · faces south
- Gillin's Beach · 2.9km · 833m long · faces south
- Kawailoa Beach · 3.4km · 303m long
Safety
We don't have confirmed lifeguard information for this beach. Never assume a beach is patrolled. Check locally before entering the water.
Rip currents cause around 100 drownings a year at US beaches and account for over 80% of beach rescues, yet only 44% of beachgoers know it. If caught in one, the National Weather Service advises: flip, float and follow.
Safety guidance from the National Weather Service. Beach Beast is not a safety or rescue service. Conditions change rapidly — always check on arrival, obey posted signs and flags, and follow lifeguard instructions. The absence of a warning here does not mean a beach is safe or patrolled.