Kauai's Black Sand Beach Field Trip Report
Kauai's Black Sand Beach Field Trip Report
Waimea, Kauai
Kaua'i is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands and has some of the most beautiful white sand beaches. However, there are a couple of spots on the island that are black sand beaches. The largest one is the beach at Waimea on the West Side of the island.
Waimea beach is a long stretch of beach. At one end lies the mouth of the Waimea River and the far end goes out past the pier and towards Kekaha. It had been a few years since I had been to that beach and walked along the shore, and I have to admit that although it is not one of my favorite spots I found my trips there to be relaxing. There were also many things that I noticed about the beach, which I had never paid attention to before.
For one, there is a large stone by the entrance with a metal plaque informing visitors that the site is of historical importance because Captain Cook had landed there.
One of the first things I noticed when I stepped onto the beach is that the sand shimmers and sparkles. It is more of a dark brown color and the sand is very fine and gritty. The waves crash right on the shore and the beach slopes upward. It is not a very wide beach, about fifty feet wide at the widest point and the beach slopes upward towards the backyards of the homes along the beach. Many of the trees that are growing on the boundaries of the beach homes have their roots exposed where the sand has eroded from the tides. The color of the ocean is a brownish mixture probably from the sediments that wash down from the river and the dark sand of the coastline. About five hundred yards out beyond the pier the water changes to green, gray, and blue color. The water is probably pretty deep and there does not appear to be any reef outside. That is probably the reason the waves only break at shore. As I walked along the beach I saw many things like kukui nuts in all the various processes of aging. They varied from a light brown color all the way to a dark
Waimea, Kauai
Kaua'i is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands and has some of the most beautiful white sand beaches. However, there are a couple of spots on the island that are black sand beaches. The largest one is the beach at Waimea on the West Side of the island.
Waimea beach is a long stretch of beach. At one end lies the mouth of the Waimea River and the far end goes out past the pier and towards Kekaha. It had been a few years since I had been to that beach and walked along the shore, and I have to admit that although it is not one of my favorite spots I found my trips there to be relaxing. There were also many things that I noticed about the beach, which I had never paid attention to before.
For one, there is a large stone by the entrance with a metal plaque informing visitors that the site is of historical importance because Captain Cook had landed there.
One of the first things I noticed when I stepped onto the beach is that the sand shimmers and sparkles. It is more of a dark brown color and the sand is very fine and gritty. The waves crash right on the shore and the beach slopes upward. It is not a very wide beach, about fifty feet wide at the widest point and the beach slopes upward towards the backyards of the homes along the beach. Many of the trees that are growing on the boundaries of the beach homes have their roots exposed where the sand has eroded from the tides. The color of the ocean is a brownish mixture probably from the sediments that wash down from the river and the dark sand of the coastline. About five hundred yards out beyond the pier the water changes to green, gray, and blue color. The water is probably pretty deep and there does not appear to be any reef outside. That is probably the reason the waves only break at shore. As I walked along the beach I saw many things like kukui nuts in all the various processes of aging. They varied from a light brown color all the way to a dark