Winter Kayaking and Snorkeling in Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Winter in Hawaii offers a unique opportunity for kayaking and snorkeling with far fewer crowds than summer. In this video, Dr. David Zhang covers the Kailua Beach, Popoia (Flat Island), and Lanikai Beach area on Oahu’s windward coast.

Winter Considerations

Winter brings higher winds and bigger waves, making kayaking more challenging. Always check surf conditions before heading out. The day of filming was too rough for the popular Mokulua Islands trip, but Flat Island was accessible. The Lanikai Beach area has calmer waters suitable for snorkeling with green sea turtles and reef fish.

Kayaking Tips

If you rent from a local shop, safety equipment like life jackets is provided. Key tips include learning proper paddle technique for efficiency, understanding wind patterns, and choosing your destination based on current conditions. For calm conditions, paddle up the canal to Enchanted Lake for a peaceful experience.

Snorkeling at Lanikai

The Lanikai area offers excellent snorkeling with green sea turtles. Stay at least 10 feet away from turtles as required by law. The clear winter water often provides better visibility than summer.

Safety Reminders

Always wear a life jacket, never go alone, know the capsize drill, dress for water temperature, and stay hydrated.

For more travel guides, see Dubrovnik, Croatia and preparing for Europe travel.

The best part about winter is fewer people, giving you the beaches nearly to yourself.

Welcome to Kailua in Winter

I’m the Genius Asian — welcome to the Genius family. Today we’re going to show you kayaking and snorkeling during the winter season in the Kailua Beach, Popoia (Flat Island), and Lanikai Beach area.

Important factors to consider in winter are possible rain and wind. While wind could be good for kiteboarding, high wind and waves are a real challenge for kayaking. If you don’t like the winter conditions or aren’t comfortable in the ocean, you can paddle a kayak up the canal to Enchanted Lake instead — the water there is quite calm and very peaceful. The best part about winter is that there are many fewer people here.

Reaching Flat Island by Kayak

Flat Island is just a quarter mile away from the shores of Kailua Beach Park on the east side of Oahu, and one of the easiest ways to reach it is by kayak. Flat Island is supposed to be flat — and it is pretty flat.

The Mokulua Islands are not only quite a bit further, but conditions in the winter also make landing there difficult. Make sure you check the surf before you go. If wave conditions are okay, still make sure you avoid the danger zones. The most important thing to know when kayaking to the Mokulua Islands is how to land and launch from the island — the ocean’s waves wrap around Moku Nui from two different directions and crash together in the middle, which can easily cause you and your kayak to flip over.

Kayak Rental and Permit Essentials

There are a couple of things to be aware of when renting a kayak. In order to visit Flat Island, you need a permit — our kayak rental company simply added this to the rental fees.

You may also need either a dry bag or a locker at the rental location for your car key or phone. Get a dry bag if you want your phone for emergencies or taking pictures. A locker is better if you want to be 100% sure your things will not get wet.

Two key paddle tips: first, estimate your grip by grasping the paddle with both hands so your elbows are bent at 90 degrees. Second, make sure the scooped sides of your paddle blades are facing you.

Landing at Flat Island

Even with high wind, Flat Island is not too hard to reach — but where do you aim to land? A detailed Google Maps view shows two spots on the southwest side where kayaks park. The first spot does not have a flat sand area; you have to pull your kayak up to the rocks and there is space for only one or two kayaks. The second spot is just a tiny bit further and much better, as there is a small strip of sand to land or launch from. There are waves and jagged reefs on the other sides of the island, so be sure to land here and don’t try to paddle all the way around — even though you may see people out there kiteboarding.

Exploring Popoia Island [?]

One popular thing to do on Popoia [?] Island is to simply walk around its perimeter. You should definitely wear shoes on the island due to sharp rock, and possibly to explore the shallow reefs and tide pools.

We spotted a colorful crab that wasn’t moving or blinking at all — it turned out it was not alive. But you will probably see live crabs, birds, and maybe fish.

Snorkeling with Green Sea Turtles at Lanikai Point

From Popoia [?] you can head over to Lanikai Point and snorkel with green sea turtles. We have shown you turtles at Turtle Canyon before. The difference at Lanikai Point is that you don’t need a boat — the turtles are only a few feet from the beach, and the water depth is very shallow, so you can see the turtles at the bottom without diving at all. In addition to turtles, there are, of course, fish.

Share this with people you know who need it, and leave your own genius tips in the comment section below. Don’t forget — I’m the Genius Asian. Subscribe for more useful videos.