Anchorage· Niihau· Hawaii
Puukole Point Anchorage (Niihau)
22° 0.2′ N · 160° 5.7′ W
Noodle's Notes' favorite Niihau anchorage, at the island's low northern tip in the lee of Kauai, with a beach that almost always has a couple of monk seals asleep on it and Lehua across the channel.
Practical
Noodle's Notes GPS 22-00.19N 160-05.68W: 14 ft, hard pan. Fair-weather only: the hardpan does not hold well - dive the anchor to confirm the tip is hooked, put out plenty of chain and set an anchor alarm. Pick your way in carefully and keep your GPS track to retrace your path out into deep water at night if a swell comes up. In summer trades the north end is in Kauai's lee; expect no more than about 15 knots. Far from the settlement at Puuwai, so encounters with residents are rare. Coast Pilot: give the north coast of Niihau a 0.5-mile berth east of Lehua Channel and about 1 mile west of it; reefs and rocks lie 1-2 miles west of Puukole (see Niihau Leeward Anchorages). Access: Niihau is privately owned and residents may tell you to leave; the beaches up to the vegetation line and the surrounding waters are public (Pacific Cup cruising notes; Noodle's Notes). Stay below the vegetation line, do not go inland, and if residents appear, the guide's author recommends simply returning to the boat.
Best for
The most sheltered summer anchorage on Niihau
Season
Summer, no north swell; leave at once if a NW swell arrives
Nearby
- Niihau Hawaiian Monk Seals0.2 NM away
- Lehua Island Seabird Sanctuary1 NM away
- Lehua Crater Dive1.2 NM away
- Niihau Leeward Anchorages2.9 NM away
- Kii Landing Anchorage (Niihau East)3 NM away
- Niihau Beachcombing and Glass Floats4.3 NM away
- Kaununui Anchorage (Niihau)5.8 NM away
- Niihau (Private Island, Public Waters)6.5 NM away