Glass Beach is a beach in Kauai County, Hawaii. The nearest town is ‘Ele‘ele, about 1.0 km (0.6 mi) away (Glass Beach lies S of town).
Glass Beach is a beach in ʻEleʻele, an industrial area in Kauai, Hawaii, that is made of sea glass. It is in Hanapepe Bay, near Port Allen Harbor. The beach's regular rock is basalt, but the sea glass formed after years of discarded glass.From the Wikipedia article “Glass Beach (ʻEleʻele, Hawaii)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Glass Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 88° in summer but only 45° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 270° W | 68° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 64° ENE | 7:25 PM | 296° WNW | 88° | 13h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:28 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 68° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 115° ESE | 6:01 PM | 245° WSW | 45° | 10h 48m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 57m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:36 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 26m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:29 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:21 PM | 12h 39m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 11m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 28m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 21m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 53m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 17m |
| October | 6:13 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 39m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:25 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 06m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 48m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Glass Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 39° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:31 AM – 5:51 AM | 1.3 | 25° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:42 AM – 5:32 AM | 2.8 | 36° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:35 AM – 4:55 AM | 4.3 | 39° | SE → S |
| May | 10:33 PM – 4:33 AM | 6.0 | 39° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:49 PM – 4:29 AM | 7.7 | 39° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:49 PM – 2:59 AM | 6.2 | 39° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:29 PM – 12:59 AM | 4.5 | 39° | S → SW |
| September | 7:57 PM – 10:57 PM | 3.0 | 36° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:58 PM | 1.5 | 26° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.13 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (54%). September is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 79 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| Low °F | 69 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 72 | 69 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Port Allen, Hanapepe Bay, 1.0 km (0.6 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Glass Beach, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph Glass Beach?
What time is golden hour at Glass Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Glass Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Glass Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Glass Beach?
How far is Glass Beach from ‘Ele‘ele?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.