VIDEO: O‘ahu’s North Shore Erosion Leaves Homeowners Without Solutions
Residents are struggling to protect their homes from falling into the ocean without violating environmental protections that preserve the island’s iconic beaches.
The stretch of beaches from Kapo‘o to Sunset Point on Oʻahu’s North Shore are some of the most famous in the world. Every winter, thousands flock to Banzai Pipeline to witness this iconic surf spot. But the waves that gave this 3-mile stretch its reputation are also eating away at the beach one swell at a time, in some cases taking homes along with it.
The North Shore is impacted by long-term gradual erosion and huge erosion episodes that accompany large storms. Some of the beaches in this stretch are smallest in the summer, such as at Pūpūkea, while Sunset Beach shrinks in the winter.
Due to the variability, a new beach management plan is in the works to better understand these seasonal sand dynamics and address beach erosion. But property owners have largely been left to navigate the issue on their own, often forced to choose between violating environmental protections by installing illegal barriers or leaving their homes vulnerable to destruction.
Watch the video below for a deeper look at the challenges facing residents of this iconic Hawaiʻi community.
Civil Beat’s coverage of climate change and the environment is supported by The Healy Foundation, the Marisla Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.
