Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Back to Blog

Kayaking and Diving near Moku Islands

whale encounters hawaii logo

Located on the eastside of Oahu, the Moku Islands are just a short distance off the beaches of Kailua, Hawaii. I have Kayaked to Moku Nui (the northern most island) and have also snorkeled the waters between Lanikai Beach and the islands. Both are SO…MUCH…FUN! Basically you can only go to Moku Nui as it has a beach for you to board you kayak. It’s also a bird sanctuary, so respect nature if you head over there.

If you make your way to Lanikai Beach bring your snorkeling gear or paddleboard as these waters are calm due to coral reefs until you get to the islands. Which is cool because I’ve seen surfers swim way out there to take advantage of the surf right in between the two islands.

Maybe a Tiger Shark?

Many snorkel these waters due to the massive amount of coral structures littering the whole area. They literally start 10 feet from shore and go way out to the islands. I’ve seen octopus, a polethera of fish, moray eels, green sea turtles, but no sharks. Which is funny. I’ve heard from a handful of people that Tiger Sharks like to roam that area. Yet, I can’t count how many times I’ve been in those waters and haven’t encountered one shark!

I’m kind of hoping one day I’ll see a Tiger Shark, but from a distance of course, and it will swim away after a few seconds. haha. Maybe it’s better to see this type of shark during a cage dive.

Either way, it’s pretty safe as I’ve also seen people swim to the islands from Lanikai. If you want to rent a paddleboard or kayak, you can do so right near Kailua Beach and launch from there. Otherwise check out Lanikai Beach for a better look at these two cool islands. If you see any sharks, let me know!