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Tunnels Beach in 3D
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Drag to spin · Blue P: parking · White line: walk to the sand · waves are for illustration, not a surf report ·
Closures and alerts
Closures and advisories
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Official alerts
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Conditions
Surf
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Weather
Tide
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Parking and access
Parking
There’s no official lot. The few roadside and dirt-lane spots near the beach fill early, and some small lots nearby are private. Don’t assume a residential street is legal parking. Most people park at Hāʻena Beach Park. Hāʻena State Park’s lot is only for its own reservation holders. Free, no reservation.
Getting to the sand
From Hāʻena Beach Park, walk east along the sand, a little over half a mile by one guide’s count. The inner Mākua lagoon is a state marine refuge, and entering it needs a permit.
Lifeguard
Not guarded. The County of Kauaʻi Ocean Safety Bureau doesn't list a lifeguard tower here.
Where we stay. We stay at Honu Hale Sunrise in Princeville. It’s ours.
See Honu Hale SunriseAbout Tunnels Beach
Tunnels Beach, also called Mākua, sits in Hāʻena on Kauaʻi's North Shore, beneath Makana, the steep green peak many visitors know as Bali Hai from the 1958 film South Pacific. It is one of the island's best-known snorkeling and scuba spots.
The draw is the reef. A wide, horseshoe-shaped reef wraps the bay, and its outer edge is cut with underwater lava tubes and arches, the tunnels the beach is named for. Green sea turtles and reef fish are common. Most snorkeling happens in summer, when the North Shore's winter swell has dropped. Parking at the beach is very limited, so most people park at Hāʻena Beach Park next door and walk east along the sand. Tunnels sits outside Hāʻena State Park, so it needs no park reservation.
Tunnels Beach (also called Mākua) is a beach on Kauaʻi’s North Shore, on the north-facing coast. No County lifeguard tower covers it. Its surf follows the National Weather Service forecast for North-facing shores, and its tides follow NOAA’s Hanalei Bay station.
Questions
Is Tunnels Beach open?
The top of this page shows any closure or advisory that the County of Kauaʻi, the State (DLNR) or the Hawaiʻi Department of Health has posted for Tunnels Beach. We check every 3 hours. If our last check is more than a day old, it says “Status unknown” instead of guessing.
Why is Tunnels Beach closed?
When it is, the notice that closed it is listed at the top of this page, with a link. Tunnels is outside Hāʻena State Park, so its closures come from County of Kauaʻi notices, such as no-swimming advisories from the Ocean Safety Bureau.
Where is Tunnels Beach, and how do you get there?
Tunnels Beach is on Kauaʻi’s North Shore. Its public access point is at GPS 22.22385, -159.56092. Directions in Google Maps. The map on this page shows lots that OpenStreetMap marks as public.
Is there a lifeguard at Tunnels Beach?
No. Tunnels Beach has no County lifeguard tower. The nearest guarded beach is the place to ask about conditions.
Do you need a reservation for Tunnels Beach? Is it in Hāʻena State Park?
Tunnels isn’t inside Hāʻena State Park. The park’s boundary on OpenStreetMap ends west of it, at Kēʻē Beach, and the State’s Go Hāʻena reservations are for the park. We haven’t confirmed parking rules at Tunnels in person yet.
Where do you park for Tunnels Beach?
There’s no official lot. The few roadside and dirt-lane spots near the beach fill early, and some small lots nearby are private. Don’t assume a residential street is legal parking. Most people park at Hāʻena Beach Park. Hāʻena State Park’s lot is only for its own reservation holders. Free, no reservation.
Can you swim at Tunnels Beach?
That changes day to day with the surf, and this site doesn't make that call. Check the North-facing surf range above, any alerts, and a lifeguard at the nearest guarded beach. Hazard ratings for guarded beaches are at hawaiibeachsafety.com.
Can you snorkel at Tunnels Beach?
People ask this a lot, and the answer changes daily. Snorkeling depends on small surf on the north-facing shore and clear water, and this site doesn't make that call. Check the surf range above, any Health Department brown water advisory (listed at the top of this page when one is posted), and ask a lifeguard at the nearest guarded beach.
Report conditions
Just there? Tell us what you found. Reports never change this page by themselves.
Sources
- Closures: County of Kauaʻi, DLNR, Hawaiʻi Department of Health
- Surf, weather and alerts: National Weather Service Honolulu
- Tides: NOAA station 1611683
- Parking lots on the map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Sources last checked October 26, 2026.