Shipwreck Beach

Located in the northern portion of the Lanai shoreline, Shipwreck Beach - also called Kaiolohia, Kaiolohia Beach, and Kaiolohia Bay Beach - is a long and popular beach with light brown sand, some rocky portions, many pebbles, a nearby shallow reef, nearby grass and shrubs, and a lot of driftwood. This beach received its name because many vessels have been known to get shipwrecked here. Some of the vessels include the Alderman Wood (a British vessel that sank near the beach in 1824), the London (an American ship that was shipwrecked here in 1826), and a reinforced concrete vessel named YOGN-42 that was built for the United States Navy in 1943 and was deliberately shipwrecked near the beach as a means of disposal after World War Two ended. As an interesting fact, the London was apparently carrying gold and silver when it sank, and that gold and silver have not yet been recovered till this date. There is a lighthouse near this beach - this lighthouse was earlier in a functional state but it now lies in a dilapidated condition. Shipwreck Beach should not be confused with another separate beach also named Shipwreck Beach which is located on the island of Kauai. 

Shipwreck Beach does not have lifeguards or any other facilities, so please plan accordingly.

Shipwreck Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, picnicking, beachcombing, wildlife watching, hiking, and fishing. The water near Shipwreck Beach is unsafe for swimming or any other water activities including snorkeling and swimming because the water here is known to have extremely dangerous rip currents and strong waves. In addition, the water here has a shallow and rugged reef - this makes water activities further difficult here. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals near Shipwreck Beach including sea turtles, migrating whales between January and April, dolphins, and rare Hawaiian monk seals. It is important to note that sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals are protected under a law named the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and harming them can result in a fine of up to $50,000 and possible imprisonment. If you are planning to fish near Shipwreck Beach, please ensure compliance with the local fishing regulations found in the Division of Aquatic Resources (which is a part of the State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources). If you like beachcombing, Shipwreck Beach is popular with beachcombers - you can comb Shipwreck Beach for a variety of interesting shells and remnants from wrecked ships including paper nautilus shells and Japanese-style glass balls ( that are used for keeping fishing nets afloat). If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Shipwreck Beach offers amazing views of the northern Lanai shoreline and the Pacific Ocean - in addition, the wrecked ships around Shipwreck Beach also offer amazing instagram-worthy photos. 

There is a hiking trail named the Kaiolohia-Kahue Trail near Shipwreck Beach and it will lead you to a series of interesting petroglyphs - petroglyphs are images and signs that are engraved on rocks. This hiking trail was initially developed as a walking path in the 19th century for connecting fishing villages

Getting to Shipwreck Beach can be difficult - from the town of Lanai City, you need to drive along a highway named Keomuku Highway and then turn towards a road named Keomuku Road. Keomuku Road will eventually diverge into two unnamed dirt roads - one of the dirt roads leads to Shipwreck Beach, while the other road leads to the ruins of an abandoned village named Keomuku. There are signs near the beginning of both the roads and you need to take the unnamed dirt road leading to Shipwreck Beach.

There is a free parking lot near the beach - this parking lot is located near the ruins of the lighthouse and it takes around 30-40 minutes to drive to Shipwreck Beach from Lanai City. We recommend driving a four-wheeled vehicle while visiting this beach – nearly all of the road to get here is dirt and filled with many potholes that are difficult to navigate and this often reduces your speed to less than 5 miles per hour. We recommend visiting this beach during sunny weather because during rainy weather the roads here can be hard to navigate. It is also important to note that Shipwreck Beach is windy.

There are many attractions near Shipwreck Beach within a 43-minute drive. Keahiakawelo - meaning “the fire of Kawelo” in Hawaiian - is a unique rock garden with many interesting large stones and rocky towers. This rock garden offers amazing Instagram-worthy photographs during sunsets and it also offers amazing views of the nearby Oahu and Molokai islands. This garden has a rugged and barren moon-like landscape devoid of plants. Dole Park (also known as Lanai City Commercial Square) is a large grassy recreational area with many nearby shops and restaurants. This recreational area also hosts a weekly farmers’ market where you can taste delicious local produce and also purchase local handicrafts. Koloiki Ridge Trail is a hiking trail that offers an amazing way to explore the rugged landscape of the island of Lanai. In addition, this trail also offers excellent views of a ridge named the Koloiki Ridge and the nearby Hawaiian islands of Kahoolawe and Molokai. If you are looking for another attraction near Shipwreck Beach, Lanai Adventure Park, which is also known as Lanai Adventures, is an adventure park that offers many fun activities including zip lining tours and guided e-bike tours. The adventure park’s aerial adventure course is an obstacle course that has over 70 challenging and exciting obstacles - these obstacles set around a tower called the Aerial Adventure Tower.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Shipwreck Beach within a 30-minute drive. Sensei By Nobu is an upscale restaurant that is situated in Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort - this restaurant has a glass pavilion and a pond. This restaurant was started by Nobu Matsuhisa and it serves amazing Asian-inspired dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This restaurant’s menu also has a focus on health-conscious and nutrition-oriented culinary techniques. Koele Garden Bar is another restaurant and bar that is also located in Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort that serves delicious dishes with international culinary influences and it also offers amazing garden views. Ganotisi's Pacific Rim Cuisine serves a variety of interesting Filipino-style and Pacific Rim-inspired dishes. The Blue Ginger Café offers amazing dishes exhibiting local culinary influences including seafood, breakfast dishes, burgers, burritos, sandwiches, pork dishes, steaks, and Asian-inpsired dishes. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Shipwreck Beach, No Ka 'Oi Grindz Lana'i offers delicious breakfast dishes, sandwiches, burgers, and fries, along with local Hawaiian and Asian-inspired dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Shipwreck Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 40-minute drive. The 5-Star Four Seasons Resort Lanai offers many amenities including two pools, a spa, multiple bars and restaurants, a complimentary local area shuttle service, a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, a kids’ club, and a fitness room. This hotel was listed as the best hotel in the United States by a media outlet named U.S. News & World Report in 2018 and 2020, and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort is another upscale hotel that is also a renowned wellness retreat that has soothing Japanese-style architecture – the hotel’s amazing spa has ten hales (Japanese-style huts), and it offers therapeutic spa treatments and wellness-oriented programs including meditation sessions and coaching sessions by wellness guides (called sensei). In addition to its incredible spa, the hotel also offers many other amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants and bars, tennis courts, idyllic gardens with artworks, a fitness center, and access to a nearby golf course–as well as many other fun activities including horse riding and archery and hula lessons. A more affordable hotel is the Hotel Lanai which has 11 rooms and is set in a 1920s plantation home and offers a restaurant with regular live local entertainment, an airport shuttle service (available for a fee), and complimentary continental breakfast. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Shipwreck Beach, Dreams Come True on Lanai is a bed-and-breakfast that has four rooms and offers many amenities including a communal lounge with antique furnishings, a garden with tropical plants and flowers, and a guest kitchen.