We plan to visit Kauai during the Thanksgiving Holidays with our two kids (12 and 15). Is it safe to snorkel at Tunnels and Kee Beach in late November? Also, does it tend to rain continuously or only intermittently on the north shore?

I hope someone will respond to this b/c we are going at a similar time of year. Any help?

While I can't speak specifically about late November, I can tell that we have almost always been able to snorkle at Ke'e in January. Unless the waves are really crashing up over the reef, there is good snorkling there (and there are definitely winter days when the waves are crashing but it's not everyday.) We have not had as good a luck at Tunnels but to be honest, sometimes it's finding parking at Tunnels that's the challenge. Plus, Ke'e is such a beautiful beach, you get the double whammy- the possibility of snorkling on the Northshore in the winter and a knock-out view (and some pretty crazy jungle fowl to chase around.) As to the rain- it's not continuous, and it makes the Northshore so spectacularily green and fragrant. The rain banging on the roof at night is great. Enjoy your trip.

We were there last year for Thanksgiving and loved it so much we are going back this year. We were not able to snorkel at Ke'e beach last year because of the waves, just played around in the water and climbed the hill to the hula spot above. Keep it on your list to visit though, beautiful beach. It is hard to find snorkel spots on the north shore in the winter. We are going to try Anini Beach this year because evidently the reef is more protective of the beach there but no guarantees. Your best bets at this time of year are Lydgate on the east side and Poipu Beach on the south shore. Get the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook and read up, best book for Kauai. Happy snorkeling!

David, Just got back from a week on Kauai's north shore. It was great and we had a really good time. We stayed at Anini and I snorkled almost every day.

The surf really came up the day we got there and didn't calm down until the day before we left. Snorkeling at Anini was easy and safe even when the waves were pounding... but the water clarity wasn't great due to the turbulance. I still saw quite a bit though. Went to Kee for snorkeling once and the fish were impressive but again the water was rough... at times I had to swim quite hard to stay in place. I didn't feel that it was dangerous however.

We had rain 4 or 5 times in the week we were there... it was mostly at night or in the morning and brief... showers really... not a problem. One day it did rain pretty much the whole day... we drove to the south side to find the sun but it rained there a bit also although not enough to cause it to be a problem. Most days were sunny and warm with a few clouds floating around to keep things honest.

We were in Kauai a few years ago at Thanksgiving. We had 9 days on the island and chose to split our time spending some nights in Hanalei and some on Poipu. This allowed us shorter drives to see the various sites around the island -- and there are many. We did get to snorkel at Ke'e and even Tunnel beach but as other posters have said it can vary depending on the weather and winds and waves. We snorkeled in Poipu which was busy and not secluded feeling like the Northshore but we had fun. We also headed further (west?) from Poipu and found some other beach park (more local) where there were salt works and lovely beach and snorkeling.

We had intermittent rain on the North Shore but I have no recollection of any real problems since there is so much to do. I would suggest stopping at the Kilauea Lighthouse on the Northshore which is a bird santuary on a beatitul promentory. Wonderful views.

Don't know the Ultimate Guide but if not that, get a good outdoor oriented guidebook. The Sierra Club adventuring in Hawaii has lots of suggestion and driving directions.

Wish I were going, too.

Aloha,

We've been over either over T'giving or New Years for the past 10yrs or so.

The rain has always been interminttent for us. It has never been coming down hard enough to where you can't find something to do...just insdie sometimes!
Or try going to another end of the island. Sometimes rain in Hanalei-you have sunshine in Poipu as mentioned in a prior post.

I'd suggest maybe calling the local Kauai Fire Dept/Rescue. before going to a certain beach or talk to the locals for some suggestions. They are usually up on the current, no pun intended, conditions.

While we were this past Jan, '01, a father and son were snorkeling at Anini and the father got caught in an undertow that pushed him out a bit too far. He was rescued, thank goodness.

Mahalo!