Shipwreck Beach — Attraction in Kauai

Since we arrived in Hawaii, my 12-year old daughter has been looking for a place to cliff jump. We looked all around the Big Island, but came up empty handed.

ChatGPT suggested this place, telling us it had a 35-40 foot cliff that people frequently jump off. Sure enough, when we got there, the first thing we saw was somebody else taking the plunge.

The personal injury lawyer in me feels compelled to disclaim that I do not endorse jumping off this cliff. There is an ledge below the jumping off place that must be cleared and—while there IS a spot of calm, clear water below the cliff—it is flanked by rocks under the surface of the water. Also, it is worth pointing out that while not a professional cliff diver, my daughter is a level 8 gymnast and has experience on both a 10 meter platform and a 25 foot cliff in Alabama. So I’m providing this information not as an endorsement, but just as information for any other parents who have a child with a mind of their own.

We got there at around 11:00 AM on a weekday and had no problem parking in the lot. (When we left at about noon, the lot was full and people were jockeying for the spot we were leaving open.)

The beach itself is beautiful. The sand is soft and the waves are big. (It was a “red flag day” when Heidi made her jump.)

There is an easy path leading up to the cliff. There are no lifeguards, but there is a Rescue Tube hanging from a tree near the cliff, which did reassure me of my ability to help if something went sideways.

Once she jumped, she had quite a swim to avoid the rocks on the shore and hit the sand. She said she was glad she made the extra effort to approach the sand and not the rocks because the current picked up in the last few meters before the beach and it would have been difficult to avoid not getting pummeled by a wave on the beach rocks (how much would THAT suck to avoid getting killed by the jump, only to get hurt body surfing into the beach?).

When she got out, there was a public shower available for her to rinse off in. There was also a public bathroom available where her mother could change...

Shipwreck beach is a great beach to soak in the sun, watch the waves or to use as a home base for exploring. Since both the Mahaulepu Heritage Trail and Grand Hyatt (for drinks and food) are right there you've got lots of options!

The Grand Hyatt resort is to the right of the beach. Anyone can stop in for a drink or a bite to eat. Their beach front pools, waterslide, lazy river and cabanas are spectacular and you're able to buy a day pass to enjoy them.

The Mahaulepu Heritage Trail, a hiking trail that explores the coast, runs thru Shipwreck beach. It's a beautiful trail and worth doing just a little of (or all of!).

The water is pretty rough here and the waves get big. You'll often find locals surfing and people jumping off the cliff to the left of the beach. It's a tough swim back to the beach, so make sure you're a strong swimmer of you want to go cliff jumping.

There are some large rocks where the beach and water meet so be careful if you decide to go for a swim or try to snorkel.

You'll find lots of chickens and roosters around the trees lining the back of the beach. These trees drop little pinecones so the sand around them is prickly, but they do provide some great shade.

There is a decent amount of parking (both in the lot right next to the beach and on the side of the road leading up to it), toilets and a rinse off shower. There is also a little green area with a few picnic tables.

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Ok first of all - do not do the cliff jumping unless you are really experienced. The 3 of us did it (my daughter started without seeing anyone do it!). Its dangerous.. The jumping area is uneven (and it was windy). Its a long way down!!! My daughter was fine - but we didn't hear her warnings to us, not to go as she said it hurt. My 13 year old boy then saw some older boys jump and got the courage - no issues. I (46 years old in good shape) then obviously had to do it :). I think I ended up leaning back to0 far (in the hour freefall). I hit the water and think my head separated from my body. Probably whiplash. The swim wasn't hard - but you definitely need to be a good swimmer. Obviously with rough seas, you also have the risk of crashing into the rocks.... In short, I don't think is worth the risk.

Whiplash aside, the beach is beautiful. On a clear July day, there were some pretty large waves.. folks body boarding.. Way bigger than the beaches up north, which we thought was the reverse.

Separately, the beach connects to Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail. I did an amazing run 2 miles out and then back. It was dry as a bone (which is a blessing) and pretty much entirely runnable. Its not really well marked - and there are different options to take at...