Kauai’s South Shore

Kauai’s trade wind and weather patterns are reliable, however– there are days that Mother Nature says we just can’t go up the Napali Coast. Here’s the deal: the North Pacific Ocean is massive and full of weather systems and when something rowdy happens out there (think Japan, Alaska), the north shore of Kauai gets all those leftover waves—there’s simply nothing in between here and there to dissipate them, so they come in pretty hot at times, especially in the winter.

We love adventure but the last thing we want to do is, take our guests out on excursions that are either dangerous, uncomfortable, or both. In the case the north shore is getting pounded, we have a backup plan: the south shore!

Yep, it’s like night and day sometimes– nasty on the north shore and absolutely lovely on the south shore. On our Kauai boat tours of Kauai’s south side, you’ll see some of Kauai’s beaches and attractions that are otherwise inaccessible including picturesque Allerton’s Beach (where they filmed the opening scene from Fantasy Island), Palama’s Beach, a private beach situated below the Kauai Coffee plantation and a favorite for nesting green sea turtles and resting monk seals and Kipu Kai, a deep horse-shoe shaped cove with some of the clearest and bluest water we’ve ever seen.

Dolphins, whales, and rainbows are just as abundant on the south shore, and there are some excellent snorkeling spots as well, such as Koloa Landing– green sea turtles galore!

We’ll cruise past the ruins of Hawaii’s first sugar mill in Koloa Town, the Spouting Horn blowhole, Poipu Beach, the historic and geologically fascinating Mahaulepu area, and hey—you can pick out your dream home on the shores of Poipu! North or south shore, it’s simply intriguing to look at Kauai from the water—it gives you a whole new perspective and appreciation for how uniquely beautiful and diverse this island really is.