Is Moloaʻa Beach open?
No closures reported
No County, State or Health Department notice closes Moloaʻa Beach. Checked Oct 28, 5:00 pm HST. Details
Weather Service alert
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Moloaʻa Beach in 3D
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Drag to spin · Blue P: parking · Heights doubled; waves are for illustration, not a surf report ·
Known hazards
“A 30-year-old visitor from Oklahoma died Wednesday after being rescued from waters off Moloa’a Beach.”Kauaʻi Now (reporting first responders and the Kauaʻi Police Department; officials added that 'ocean conditions can change quickly'), 2026-05-14
“Moloaa Stream is a lower use tier three beach, which isn't monitored by DOH on a regular basis.”The Garden Island (reporting Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch sampling after Surfrider found high enterococci counts in Moloaʻa Stream), 2017-02-07
“from Moloaa Bay to Anahola Bay.”Honolulu Star-Advertiser (reporting a Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch brown water advisory), 2014-06-29
Closures and alerts
Closures and advisories
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Conditions
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Tide
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Parking and access
Parking
There is no parking lot. A few roadside spaces sit along the shoulder of Moloaʻa Road near its end, and they fill fast on weekends. The last stretch of road, by the stream mouth, has been posted with no-parking signs to keep it open for fire trucks. Don't park in condo or rental lots, and don't block gates or driveways.
Getting to the sand
From Kūhiō Highway just past mile marker 16, turn onto Koʻolau Road, then onto Moloaʻa Road and follow it to the end. A short sandy path between two buildings, marked with a small "beach" sign, leads to the sand. The end of the road reaches the stream mouth at the north end of the beach. Signs mark seabird nesting areas; stay on the paths. No County or State record was found that confirms a formal public access easement here.
Lifeguard
Not guarded. The County of Kauaʻi Ocean Safety Bureau doesn't list a lifeguard tower here.
About Moloaʻa Beach
Moloaʻa Beach curves around the head of Moloaʻa Bay on Kauaʻi's northeast coast, between Anahola and Kīlauea. To reach it, turn off Kūhiō Highway onto Koʻolau Road, then follow Moloaʻa Road down the valley to its end. The sand runs between two high bluffs, and Moloaʻa Stream crosses the north end of the beach. The name means "matted roots," for the wauke, or paper mulberry, that once grew so thickly here that its roots interwove. Private homes line the back of the beach.
This is a quiet, rural bay with no lifeguard, restrooms or showers. People come to beachcomb, picnic, fish from shore and snorkel the reef inside the points. Its fame is older: Moloaʻa is where the pilot of Gilligan's Island was filmed in November 1963, and the last day of that shoot was the day President Kennedy was assassinated. Guides warn of currents that pull out through the middle of the bay, and in May 2026 a visitor died after being pulled from the water here.
Moloaʻa Beach (also called Moloaʻa Bay, Moloaa Beach, Gilligan's Island Beach) is a beach on Kauaʻi’s East Side, on the east-facing coast. No County lifeguard tower covers it. Its surf follows the National Weather Service forecast for East-facing shores, and its tides follow NOAA’s Hanalei Bay station.
Questions
Is Moloaʻa Beach open?
The top of this page shows any closure or advisory that the County of Kauaʻi, the State (DLNR) or the Hawaiʻi Department of Health has posted for Moloaʻa Beach. We check every 3 hours. If our last check is more than a day old, it says “Status unknown” instead of guessing.
Where is Moloaʻa Beach, and how do you get there?
Moloaʻa Beach is on Kauaʻi’s East Side. Its public access point is at GPS 22.19340, -159.33280. Directions in Google Maps. The map on this page shows lots that OpenStreetMap marks as public.
Is there a lifeguard at Moloaʻa Beach?
No. Moloaʻa Beach has no County lifeguard tower. The nearest guarded beach is the place to ask about conditions.
Where do you park for Moloaʻa Beach?
There is no parking lot. A few roadside spaces sit along the shoulder of Moloaʻa Road near its end, and they fill fast on weekends. The last stretch of road, by the stream mouth, has been posted with no-parking signs to keep it open for fire trucks. Don't park in condo or rental lots, and don't block gates or driveways.
Can you swim at Moloaʻa Beach?
That changes day to day with the surf, and this site doesn't make that call. Check the East-facing surf range above, any alerts, and a lifeguard at the nearest guarded beach. Hazard ratings for guarded beaches are at hawaiibeachsafety.com.
Report conditions
Just there? Tell us what you found. Reports never change this page by themselves.
Sources
- Closures: County of Kauaʻi, DLNR, Hawaiʻi Department of Health
- Surf, weather and alerts: National Weather Service Honolulu
- Tides: NOAA station 1611683
- Parking lots on the map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Sources last checked October 26, 2026.