Makua, better known as Tunnels, is named for the lava tubes and ledges that run through its wide horseshoe reef. On calm summer days the inner reef is among the best shore snorkeling on Kauaʻi, with turtles resting in the reef’s small caves. In winter, North Shore surf pounds the same reef.
Why we love it
On a flat summer morning nothing else on the island compares: coral almost to the waterline, turtles, and Mount Makana rising behind the beach.
Current conditions: Oct. 20, 2026: HDOT still lists Route 560 from Hanalei to Kēʻē Beach as local access only after Hurricane Lowell. The County’s Oct. 19 closure list doesn’t name adjacent Hāʻena Beach Park, which was closed in mid-September.
What to expect
Tunnels has no lifeguard and no facilities of its own. The nearest tower, restrooms and picnic pavilions are a short walk west at Hāʻena Beach Park. Snorkeling happens on the shallow inner reef shelf on calm days, usually summer. The outer reef drop-off draws surfers and divers and carries real currents. Parking has been the problem for years: the county banned shoulder parking on the access lanes after the 2018 floods and tickets and tows. Hāʻena State Park’s reserved lot is for visits to Kēʻē, not Tunnels overflow. Go early or skip it.
Know before you go
- Road access
- As of Oct. 20, 2026, HDOT lists Kūhiō Highway from Hanalei to Kēʻē as local access only. Confirm you can legally drive there before going.
- Lifeguards
- None at Tunnels. The nearest tower is at Hāʻena Beach Park, staffed daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Water conditions
- Snorkel only on calm days, typically summer. Winter surf makes the reef dangerous, and currents run along the outer edge.
- Parking
- Very limited. No shoulder parking on the access roads, and enforcement is daily.
- Turtles
- Turtles rest in the reef’s caves. Stay at least 10 feet away, and don’t stand on coral.
Illustrative photo — not taken at Tunnels Beach (Makua).
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Caracas1830 assumed (based on copyright cla via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
