A secret Kaua‘i beach shelters humans and endangered species, both seeking seclusion.
Another beautiful day on Kaua‘i’s north shore, in Kilauea town, and I wonder if you can ever get tired of perfection. A friend is taking Dan and I down a secret path to Secrets Beach. Secrets is known to be a place where nude sunbathing abounds because of its isolated location. As we gingerly make our way down the sheer cliff, conveniently paved with stairs, we hit the beach and find we are alone.
I look down a good half mile stretch of white sandy beach and rest my eyes on the lighthouse, a hopeful symbol perched on a peninsula. We walk along the shore, our feet grateful for the cool water.The pristine blue ocean is agitated by huge pounding surf and water rushes up the shore drenching us to our thighs. We run and play along the beach like children, laughing. Dan and I are in awe as we come upon a sleeping monk seal.
Hawaiian Monk Seals are an endangered species, the second most endangered seal in the world, a total of 1200 are thought to live in the Hawaiian Archipelago chain. These seals are considered prehistoric, as they have been living in the islands for millions of years. Kaua‘i is a favorite island of these seals, I have seen them napping on the beach three times in the six months that I’ve lived here. The seals beach themselves to rest, conserving their energy to hunt and reproduce.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the seals are very sensitive to human disturbance and become agitated and sometimes aggressive if disturbed. Wanting to see evidence of life or maybe connect with something wild, people have been known to make loud noises, throw things at them, and have even been known to put their children on them for a photo! A mother seal may bite people and abandon her pup if she is disturbed.
If you come across a beached Hawaiian Monk Seal, please consider all of its struggles: threat of extinction, lack of food, entanglement in marine debris, shark attacks, infectious diseases, habitat loss, and fishery interactions. Admire from a distance of 150 feet, and please, don’t add to their problems.
Posted by Marta Lane. Friend me on Facebook.
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
Entry Filed under: Customs, Practices and Pastimes,Kauai
July 20th, 2010
8 Comments Add your own
1. paul | July 20th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Great Article Marta, PROTECT THE HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL !
2. Max White | July 20th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Great blog. I must say, your posts are very useful, very informative, very RELEVANT and also very well written. Thanks…and keep blogging.
3. Cindy Scheopner | July 20th, 2010 at 11:01 am
Max –
Thanks for the kind comments on the blog! We’re going seven days a week now, with the help of contributors like Marta.
– Cindy
4. Isabel | July 20th, 2010 at 11:10 am
I was fortunate enough to see one on the beach last year. What a sight! I agree, keep them safe.
5. Lin | July 20th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Thank you for this. Yes there is a very big difference between admiration of a once great species, to sheer idiocy to get a good photo op. It’s as if someone were to walk into the hospital to the hospice wing and start fidgeting with the patients, jumping on their beds and acting a mess. Please have and show respect. As beautiful as they are, and as much as you want to just pinch their cheeks cause they’re sooooo cute, use extreme caution and care. Mahalo for this blog, people sometimes forget about the endangered life on the planet and get careless, glad to see more people spreading awareness.
6. Ashley | July 20th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I love these sea creatures lets protect our Hawaiian Waters
7. Abby Lapointe | July 20th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
It’s so magical to see a monk seal on the beach! They are such amazing, beautiful creatures
8. Directory of Kauai | August 17th, 2010 at 10:47 am
The Kaua‘i Monk Seal Watch Program is a nonprofit organization whose funding is entirely used to heighten monk seal awareness. They educate visitors in resorts, as well as more than 10,000 students on Kaua‘i and Moloka‘i. Their bottom line is that education instills knowledge, and knowledge is the key to preserving Hawaiian monk seals. Here are some of their tips…
http://directoryofkauai.net/blog/category/hawaiian-wildlife/hawaiian-monk-seals
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