Articles: Kauai's Donkey Beach is a beauty but dangerous and not for swimming
Press Release May 2009
Press Release May 2009
Don't plan on swimming at Donkey beach
Kauai private tours and hiking guide, Karen Tilley of Kauai Eden Tours says a great way to enjoy a vacation on Kauai is to be safe, and a lot of that has to do with learning ocean and water safety.
This includes knowing what beaches are for viewing only, and also when to avoid being close to the ocean. There are a few beaches that come to mind: Donkey, Lumahai, Hanakapiai, and Nukolii for starters. Kauai has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and also safe ones, but it takes some reading to know what's what!
The majority of Kauai drowning victims are visitors and in 2008, there was a record number of drowning deaths: fourteen. That is an average of over one drowning a month.
Tilley attended the Ocean Safety Conference in Febuary. She learned from Chuck Blay of TEOK that about 20% of Kauai drownings come from people who are not even swimming. They may be just wading at the beach, or standing on a rock shelf, and presto, a bigger wave set comes in, and they are swept off their feet.
An example of this occurred at Donkey Beach near Kapaa toTilley's two friends, Peggy and Ron Kadey, Kauai residents, who are familiar with Kauai's powerful ocean.
The couple were at Donkey beach, watching the waves and were just in calf-deep water (12 inches of water). The next wave set came in and the water was up to their chests. The couple then started to be pulled out to sea. Fortunately for Peggy, Ron Kadey was able to grab on to his wife's hand, and being well over six feet tall, he was able to get them out of the water.
That incident occurred when there were moderate to high seas.
Donkey beach also claimed the life of a male visitor a short while back during moderate seas. Tilley herself had walked to the beach the morning of that drowning, and believes she saw the drowning victim walking in the shallow water with his boogie board in hand.
Simply put, Donkey beach is not for swimming. It has invisible rip currents, and a steep drop off. You might see local teenagers surfing there but that does not mean it is safe for swimming.
It is a however, a beautiful beach and great for beach-combing.
Karen Tilley has been a Sierra Club Hike Leader on Kauai since 2003. One of her main efforts involves organizing beach clean ups. Her only son, age 22, almost drowned at Kalalau beach this March, trying to swim out to a boat so he would not have to walk back the treacherous trail.
If you'd like to help Kauai's marine life, Tilley suggests you may wish to bring four (or more) large contractor bags or kitchen garbage bags to gather up the collection of flotsam and jetsam that comes ashore at Donkey beach. Leaving the bags away from the beach will prevent huge swells from reclaiming the plastic garbage.
Make sure to go to kauaiexplorer.com to see the waves of each beach each day.
Also, always ask the Lifeguard about the currents, and the best places to swim.
Karen Tilley is the owner of www.kauaiEdenTours.com offering private Kauai tours and hiking adventures. Please call her at (808) 821-8008 to find out more.
Kauai private tours and hiking guide, Karen Tilley of Kauai Eden Tours says a great way to enjoy a vacation on Kauai is to be safe, and a lot of that has to do with learning ocean and water safety.
This includes knowing what beaches are for viewing only, and also when to avoid being close to the ocean. There are a few beaches that come to mind: Donkey, Lumahai, Hanakapiai, and Nukolii for starters. Kauai has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and also safe ones, but it takes some reading to know what's what!
The majority of Kauai drowning victims are visitors and in 2008, there was a record number of drowning deaths: fourteen. That is an average of over one drowning a month.
Tilley attended the Ocean Safety Conference in Febuary. She learned from Chuck Blay of TEOK that about 20% of Kauai drownings come from people who are not even swimming. They may be just wading at the beach, or standing on a rock shelf, and presto, a bigger wave set comes in, and they are swept off their feet.
An example of this occurred at Donkey Beach near Kapaa toTilley's two friends, Peggy and Ron Kadey, Kauai residents, who are familiar with Kauai's powerful ocean.
The couple were at Donkey beach, watching the waves and were just in calf-deep water (12 inches of water). The next wave set came in and the water was up to their chests. The couple then started to be pulled out to sea. Fortunately for Peggy, Ron Kadey was able to grab on to his wife's hand, and being well over six feet tall, he was able to get them out of the water.
That incident occurred when there were moderate to high seas.
Simply put, Donkey beach is not for swimming. It has invisible rip currents, and a steep drop off. You might see local teenagers surfing there but that does not mean it is safe for swimming.
It is a however, a beautiful beach and great for beach-combing.
Karen Tilley has been a Sierra Club Hike Leader on Kauai since 2003. One of her main efforts involves organizing beach clean ups. Her only son, age 22, almost drowned at Kalalau beach this March, trying to swim out to a boat so he would not have to walk back the treacherous trail.
If you'd like to help Kauai's marine life, Tilley suggests you may wish to bring four (or more) large contractor bags or kitchen garbage bags to gather up the collection of flotsam and jetsam that comes ashore at Donkey beach. Leaving the bags away from the beach will prevent huge swells from reclaiming the plastic garbage.
Make sure to go to kauaiexplorer.com to see the waves of each beach each day.
Also, always ask the Lifeguard about the currents, and the best places to swim.
Karen Tilley is the owner of www.kauaiEdenTours.com offering private Kauai tours and hiking adventures. Please call her at (808) 821-8008 to find out more.