Punaluʻu Beach — Attraction in Hawaii

Stunningly beautiful and relatively quiet in terms of the number of other visitors (at least while we were there -- a Friday in August around 6pm). Neither of us had ever seen a black sand beach before so this was a special stop on our itinerary. Though I've heard descriptions of black sand beaches from others in the past, I was completely awestruck -- words do not properly describe it. The sand is coarse but smooth. It feels more like very fine mini-stones than traditional sand. That said, it's worth going for the scenic views and unbelievable photos you will take away and cherish long after your visit. There's something special, too, about seeing a black sand beach on Big Island where you are quite literally surrounded by volcanic ash nearly everywhere you go. Very different from, say, Volcanoes National Park, where you are an observer of the volcanic ash from a far away vantage point -- Punalu‘U Beach allows you to touch the ash, roll around in it, and get deep down and dirty in it. Well worth the stop.

As for time allotment, you can plan to make a full afternoon of it or you can go and spend about an hour or so -- it really depends on how much time you're interested or willing to spend. There weren't many people swimming here, and from what I've read of other reviews of the same location, it may not be safe to swim without some sort of footwear. (Note: fellow travelers we met while visiting Big Island told us they swam all afternoon at the Island's newest black sand beach, Pohoiki.) There was a small hut where two local guys were selling fresh coconuts. Parking was fairly ample. I strongly recommend this spot, especially if you've not seen a black sand beach before -- Punalu‘U will...

It was overcast the day we were here. The parking lot was really packed, but we managed to find a good spot.

The beach is fairly long and of course made up of very fine black sand that gets really super hot ! Be sure to wear your beach shoes!

The water was actually cold considering how hot it was outside.

It’s rather rocky when you are walking out to go swimming / snorkeling so water shoes are a must !

I prefer a beach with a nice smooth sandbar feeling without rocks - this is not that type of beach!

The water was semi murky and not very clear, although we did see some fish.

We also must of swam too close to a boat as the life guard got out his trusty bullhorn to remind us that “Boats have the right of way ! Stay away from the boats ! “ #embarrassing

We didn’t stay too long after we were done swimming/ snorkeling.

It did look like they had a consession area with food and drinks. They also had vendors selling souvenirs, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out, so I can’t say what was offered, or what prices were like.

I have to say I prefer the Black Sand Beach on Maui, but I was happy I got the opportunity to check...

Punalu’u – what a concise language to say “freshwater springs beneath the ocean's surface.” The beach here is made of the refined black sand, made from basaltic lava from the hills above. The attritional action of the ocean made it into the tiny sparkling crystals. It is quite rare even for the beach to retain such treasure as the mother-ocean takes is relatively fast for herself. There are only about 30 beaches like this in the world and this once you can reach by car. The endangered Hawaiian honu (green sea turtled or Chelonia mydas to sound French) find a safe haven right here and a group of them is seen here almost all the time. For deeply-rooted Hawaiians it is a sacred place. For modern Hawaiian it is the place of community meetings and events. While swimming takes some risk to follow Titanic, where sharp rocks work as good as ice, wading along the water is safe. It is quite an experience to see your footprints imprinted like in Pompeii, even if this creation lasts...