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Hawaii Water Quality — May 23, 2026

Advisory cleared at Anini Beach — Kauaʻi coast continues recovering

By Safe to Swim Hawaii Team · Published May 23, 2026
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BIG ISLAND
Still under advisory (0% clean)
↓
MAUI
-36pp worsening
→
OʻAHU
Still under advisory (0% clean)
→
KAUAʻI
Still under advisory (7% clean)

7 tracked beaches cleared DOH advisory status in the last 24 hours: Anini Beach, Brennecke Beach, Haleiwa Beach Park, Hanalei Bay, Kalapaki Beach, Lydgate Beach, Tunnels Beach (Makua). Bacteria can linger after visible turbidity clears, so the 72-hour waiting rule still applies if the advisory was rain-driven.

Where the islands stand today

Big Island

still under advisory

Big Island has been persistently under advisory for 28+ days (no recovery window in the data yet). Our 7 tracked beaches happen not to overlap with the DOH advisories driving this signal — the worsening trend is from island-wide or other-area advisory events. NOAA's 7-day forecast is dry, which should halt new advisory activity and let the existing advisories begin to clear. See the Big Island leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Maui

worsening

Maui is worsening over the last 14 days (-36pp vs. the prior two weeks). 1 of our 6 tracked beaches on the island have active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is dry, which should halt new advisory activity and let the existing advisories begin to clear. See the Maui leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Oʻahu

still under advisory

Oʻahu has been persistently under advisory for 28+ days (no recovery window in the data yet). All 12 of our tracked beaches on the island have had active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is mild — scattered showers possible but unlikely to drive new advisories. See the Oʻahu leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Kauaʻi

still under advisory

Kauaʻi has been persistently under advisory for 28+ days (no recovery window in the data yet). All 6 of our tracked beaches on the island have had active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is dry, which should halt new advisory activity and let the existing advisories begin to clear. See the Kauaʻi leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Cleanest beaches today (last 30 days)
Anaehoʻomalu Bay (A-Bay)
30/30 days advisory-free
Clean →
Hapuna Beach
30/30 days advisory-free
Clean →
Honoliʻi Beach
30/30 days advisory-free
Clean →
Most advisoried beaches today (last 30 days)
Tunnels Beach (Makua)
1/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
Lydgate Beach
1/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
Kalapaki Beach
1/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
NOAA 7-day forecast, per island tourist coast
  • Kohala Coast, Big Island: dry (max 6% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • South Maui (Wailea / Kihei): dry (max 5% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • South Shore O’ahu (Honolulu / Waikiki): mild (max 34% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • Po’ipu, Kaua’i: dry (max 19% chance of rain across next 7 days)

For the always-live per-island outlook, see our Hawaii Water Quality Forecast, which regenerates daily from NOAA + DOH data.

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Live data and deeper context
Hawai’i Water Quality Data Hub — every resource in one place
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Hawaii Water Quality Forecast — 14-day trend + 7-day NOAA outlook
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Is Hawaii’s Beach Water Getting Cleaner or Dirtier? — YoY DOH data
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Cleanest Hawaii Beaches Right Now — statewide ranking
Rankings →
Hawaii Citizen Water Testing — 100+ Surfrider BWTF sites
Coverage →
Why Hawaii Water Turns Brown After Rain — stream-mouth data
Data →
Hawaii Sewage Spills Today — live DOH tracker
Live →
Where to Swim During a Brown Water Advisory
Guide →
Brown Water Advisory — live all islands + 72-hour rule
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Previous report — April 23, 2026
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Methodology: Statistics in this report come from our pipeline's aggregation of Hawaii DOH Clean Water Branch advisory data across 31 tracked beaches (last 14 days compared against the 14 days before). Forecast data from NOAA National Weather Service (api.weather.gov) sampled at each island's primary tourist coast. All numbers accurate as of publication. This report describes water-quality trends and forecast; it is not a swim recommendation. Physical hazards (shore break, rip currents, surf, marine life) are independent of water quality. Always check the individual beach page and local conditions before entering the water.