Hot Water Beach

Me standing in a self made hot tub (hole) on the beach.

One of the holes dug by someone else.

Hot water beach is a small beach in the middle of nowhere, known for having hot water under the sand. Two hours before and after low tide you can dig a hole in the sand which will fill with warm ocean water - anywhere up to 149 degress ferenheit. Is this a myth or real? S. and I were on a mission to find out!

After checking into our nearby hostel in the small town of Hahei, we were told low tide was t 10:50pm and that tonight would be a great night to "dig our own hot tubs" and watch the stars. We had only planned to stay in this small town for one night and had worried the low tide wouldn't cooperate with our travel plans so this was perfect.

After dinner S. and I drove a short distance to "hot water beach". Armed with the free shovel our hostel had provided we clammored out to the beach unsure of how to do this. We dug a small hold which quickly filled with cold water. We shook our heads wondering if this was a myth. Moments later I noticed camera flashes in the distance and insisted we wade across the small stream emptying into the ocean to go over and check it out. I was not disappointed!

A short distance away the beach was littered with hot tubs dug by others, only a few still occupied. I tested several, each it's own temperature. Much to my amazement, there were several that were too hot for me to stand in. There were even small stretches of undug beach/sand that were much too hot to walk across. Keep in mind it's pitch black outside and remembering where cold sand vs hot sand is located is difficult! :)

We spent maybe 45 minutes splashing around in several of the pre-dug holes, then hot-skipped back across the hot sand to the car. We did so just in time, as it had gotten even darker in the short amount of time we'd been there. Finding the car in the dark proved quite a challeng. All in all, hot water beach was well worth the pit stop on our trip!