Water depth on the north shore of Kauai? (Princeville, Hana: beach, areas)

[Surfer-Girl]

Anyone know how deep the water gets off the north shore of Kauai in the Hanalei, Princeville, and Ha'Ena areas (particularly in the surf zone)? I know it's deeper than, say, Florida, but how deep is it really? Where the surfers hang waiting for waves, is it probably 20 to 30 feet deep? 40 to 50? How deep is it compared to the north shore of Oahu and Maui?

Thanks in advance!

[whynot?]

Here's an interactive map that shows topography and has a depth guide. Just click on the square for the area you're interested in, and you can see the relative depths.

Ocean Depth Maps - Hawaii

Best of luck.

[KauaiHiker]

I'm not much of a surfer, nor much of an expert on the ocean, but from my snorkeling experience, I can tell you that waves generally break in shallow water, often over a reef. Sure, there are shore breaks over sand, and big swells that break farther out over deeper reef, but the everyday surfing waves break in 2-4 feet of water over rock or coral formations under water. My one experience surfing the outer break at Hanalei was scary, not far from the reef if you wipe out.

[Surfer-Girl]

Originally Posted by KauaiHiker

I'm not much of a surfer, nor much of an expert on the ocean, but from my snorkeling experience, I can tell you that waves generally break in shallow water, often over a reef. Sure, there are shore breaks over sand, and big swells that break farther out over deeper reef, but the everyday surfing waves break in 2-4 feet of water over rock or coral formations under water. My one experience surfing the outer break at Hanalei was scary, not far from the reef if you wipe out.

2 to 4 feet? Wow, that's a lot more shallow than I thought! I mean, obviously each beach is different, but that's not bad at all. Does anyone happen to know, more specifically, Hanalei Bay and Tunnels Beach? I do not plan on surfing Tunnels (not good enough yet, I don't think), but likely Hanalei Bay. (We're planning to visit sometime during December - May) I've seen some surf clips and such from the Tunnels/Ha'ena beach area that seem reallyyyyy deep. But I'm not sure?

Hope that made sense. My brain went to sleep an hour ago...