Dragon’s Breath Kauai

Kauai is an island right out of a Jurassic Park movie, and it’s no wonder many scenes from the movies have been shot on the island.

On many areas of the island you almost expect to see a velociraptor in the grass or a pterodactyl flying overhead. But on Kauai’s magical North Shore, a more mythical beast reigns. Puff the Magic Dragon slumbers at Hanalei Bay in the mountain profiles framing Hanalei Bay.

It’s said to be only a coincidence that Peter, Paul and Mary mentioned a dragon in a land called “Honnah Lee.”

“Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist
in a land called Honnah Lee”

You can see Puff the Magic Dragon sleeping at Hanalei Bay with its head lying to the right.

While you can see Puff sleeping on the bay, you can feel the dragon’s breath at another spot on Kauai’s North Shore, at an extensive lava rock field on the coastline east of Hanalei. In these rocks are a channel with a lava archway and a cave. When the ocean waters rush into the cave, a mist arises like a “dragon’s breath” through a small opening.

The wide part of the channel before the arch is a popular swimming spot. An opening just past the arch is a popular diving spot. For the truly adventurous, the channel continues beyond the opening and under the rock into a large sea cave. Only expert swimmers should go in the waters here as the ocean waters swell into and out of the channel and cave.

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Below is a short video clip of Dragon’s Breath Kauai.

Dragon’s Breath Kauai Photos

This opening is a popular spot for diving.

The channel continues under these rocks into a sea cave.

You must cross another channel in the lava rocks to get to Dragon’s Breath. Luckily for us on our visit there was a board for crossing, as precarious as it was.