Kaʻula

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Kaʻula Island Viewed from the North

Kaʻula Island, also called Kaʻula Rock, is a small, crescent-shaped offshore islet in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located 23 miles west-southwest of Kawaihoa Point on Niʻihau, and about 150 nautical miles west of Honolulu. The island is actually the very top of a volcanic tuff cone that rests on top of a larger, submerged shield volcano. At its highest point, the island reaches a height of 548 feet / 167 meters.^[1]

Kaʻula is uninhabited but fishermen and scuba divers frequently visit the island. Five fathom pinnacle, three miles west-northwest of Kaʻula, is also a noted dive spot.

The ocean has carved large sea cliffs on the sides of the island. There is a large cave on the northwest side of the island called Kahalauaola (Shark Cave)^[2].

A lighthouse was completed on the island in 1932 by the former United States Lighthouse Service. It remained in operation through 1947.

The island has been used as a target range by the U.S. Navy since at least 1952. Inert ordnance is currently used, although live explosive ordnance has been used in the past. There is a risk of unexploded ordnance on the island. Permission from the U.S. Navy is required to land on the island.

In 1978, over the objection of the U.S. Navy, the state of Hawaii claimed ownership of Kaʻula and named the island a State Seabird Sanctuary. A final determination of ownership has not yet been made, and the Navy still uses the southeast point of the island as a target range.

The United States Census Bureau defines Kaʻula as Census Tract 411 of Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi. The 2000 census showed that the uninhabited island had a land area of 0.64 km² (0.247 square mile, or 158.2 acres). ^[3] Due to erosion, the island is slowly getting smaller.