Beachcombing on Kauai

Beachcombing is a popular past-time for visitors and locals alike. Wind, waves, and nearby environments can cause different kinds of trash and treasures to end up on Kauai’s beaches. Popular finds include shells, fishing floats, beach glass, driftwood and stones. Different beaches bring different finds, but regardless of what you pick up, a relaxing walk on the beach is always worthwhile.

The east side of Kauai is constantly exposed to strong trade winds. These winds can blow an abundance of interesting debris onto the shorelines. You may find old fishing floats, fishing nets, driftwood, bottles and bits of plastic. Upon further inspection of the debris, you may discover its origin in distant lands such as Japan. However, most of this debris is from fishing vessels. The stretch of beach that begins at the south end of Lydgate Park and continues past the Wailua Golf Course is the best place for beachcombing if you are looking for fishing debris.

Driftwood is also a popular find for beachcombers but sometimes a nuisance to beachgoers when it is present in large quantities after a storm. Driftwood can be found at any beach with a river, which includes most of the beaches on Kauai. As may be expected, bigger rivers bring bigger quantities of wood. As a result, you may expect to find some great pieces of driftwood at the mouth of the Wailua River (see my Travel Advisory post about Lydgate Beach Park).

If you are looking for shells, the North Shore beaches like Tunnels and Anini offer hours of entertainment. West side Beachcombers find bits of pottery, beach glass and rolled metal at Glass Beach near Port Allen. Glass beach defines the phrase, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Once a dumping site, it is now beachcomber’s paradise.

Don’t forget that the tide and surf can influence your finds. If the tide is low after a very high tide couples with strong surf, all the shells or glass may have been removed. The same beach may yield different treasures on different days.
Avid beachcombers know that treasure hunting takes persistence. Most finds however are often incidental. So instead of focusing on beachcombing, make a day at the beach with your family, enjoy the ocean and occasional look down. The more days you spend, the more fun you have, and the more likely you are to find a treasure.