Water quality status and bacteria risk rating
📍 Kilauea, North Kauaʻi — River mouth beach · High post-rain risk
Kalihiwai Beach is a stunning north Kauai beach with a high bacteria risk rating due to the Kalihiwai River mouth discharging directly onto the beach. Kauai’s north shore receives heavy rainfall, and the river drains agricultural land from the interior, concentrating bacteria and runoff.
The DOH regularly posts advisories for Kalihiwai after rainfall events. During extended dry periods, conditions away from the river mouth can improve. The beach itself is beautiful — the north Kauai scenery is spectacular — but swimmers should exercise extreme caution, especially after any rainfall.
Based on: Active river mouth, north Kauai high rainfall, agricultural watershed, frequent DOH advisories
The Department of Health recommends at least 72 hours after heavy rain before swimming. At Kalihiwai, this rule is especially important — bacteria from the river can persist for days after a rainfall event.
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⚠️ Important Disclaimer
Safe to Swim Hawaii is an independent passion project — not affiliated with the Hawaii Department of Health. Ratings are estimates based on publicly available data and are not real-time measurements.
Always verify with the Hawaii DOH Clean Water Branch before entering the water.
This site does not recommend or advise anyone to swim at any beach. We share government data and geographic analysis so you can make your own informed decisions. By using this site you accept full responsibility for your own safety. See our Terms of Use for full details.
When in doubt, donʻt go out. 🤙