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Punalu'u Black Sand Beach
Categories: Active Life Swimming Pools Active Life Beaches Swimming Pools, Beaches [Edit]
Highway 11Naalehu, HI 96772
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
58 reviews for Punalu'u Black Sand Beach
58 reviews in English
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Review from LeeAnn M.
9/6/2011 3 photos
If you've never seen a Black Sand Beach, you must visit.
This is the best beach to see Sea Turtles, as they are ALWAYS on shore....but please be respectful and use your ZOOM lenses instead of getting up close to them.
This is not a swimming beach. Bathrooms and such as limited as it's not designed for large groups of tourists, which is what still makes this beach an authentic Hawaiian experience - check out the far end of the beach away from the souvenir shacks.
It's a must stop along highway 11. Easily accessible. -
Review from Shannon N.
San Jose, CA
11/16/2011
Beautiful black sand beach, good for strolling along, not for snorkeling or swimming.
Sea turtles love this space so you'll likely see a few hanging out. Give them a lot of room and use your digital camera. ;) -
Review from Sharr K.
10/2/2011
Nice beach...the sand is black.
We drove all the way to south point to see black sand....we already saw black sand on Pololu Lookout and Waipio Valley (north Kohala). Oh the green sea turtles....we saw plenty of them in Whittington Park.
Can we go back to Green Sand Beach please?
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We left and didn't even get out of the car.....Listed in: KONA!!!!!!!
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Review from Hans Z.
South Pasadena, CA
9/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Unique and worth visiting once or twice. Turtles are a plus when they're around, but as a beach it's nothing too special. Lots of debris on the beach typically, many rocks and generally not the best place to go in the water. The surroundings aren't especially beautiful either. I'd be bored spending more than an hour here honestly.
Pros:
- Black Sand.
- Lots of Parking.
- Typically not very busy.
- Turtles sometimes.
Cons:
- Not good for swimming, snorkeling or laying on the beach.
- Gets boring quickly.
- Not a whole lot to see. -
Review from Kevin L.
5/8/2011 1 photo
We stopped here for a few minutes, but I don't think it was worth going out of our way to come here. We've been to several black sand beaches in Maui and compared to those, Punalu'u is just average.
It was pretty crowded when we came - even all of the picnic tables were occupied! If you don't plan on stepping into water, go elsewhere. Turtles? Try Kahaluu Beach in Kona. -
Review from Charlene C.
Monrovia, CA
6/18/2011 1 photo
4.5 Stars
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach came in at #3 on the Travel Channel's Top 10 Hawaiian Beaches Countdown.
This was my first time at this black sand beach. It was one of the destinations that we were looking forward to on our trip. Overall, it's a beautiful place to take photographs and see more green sea turtles. However, due to the rocks, nobody was swimming. (This is the reason to taking off 1/2 star.)The sand's texture is more course, but a very different experience. I recommend this beach to other Big Island visitors.
PHOTO: (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) -
Review from Jeremy G.
Humble, TX
7/16/2011
Punalu'u is a must-see on the Big Island. It feels akin to walking on the moon. But not only is this one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, it's also culturally and environmentally significant.
However, in fairness, I wouldn't rate it as the best beach to spend the day. It's good for an hour or two to stroll about and take pictures, but not as much for swimming and sunbathing. I'd also recommend going elsewhere for extended snorkeling.
Parking was easy and the beach is very accessible. Bring proper attire, because you can't get far onto the beach without getting wet. -
Review from Cesar R.
um.
neat.
the sand on this beach is black.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
yipee.
can we go eat now?Listed in: Heavenly Happiness.... Hawaii!…
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Review from Angela K.
9/26/2011
Never thought I'd see a black sand beach, but it was pretty spectacular! Unfortunately, the sand was rough and course, so don't expect to be lying down and relaxing. This beach is not for swimming or any type of activity, just for the view and taking some pictures. There are usually a few turtles just hanging around which is entertaining for a while, but other than that I don't think you'll be spending more than 20-30 minutes here.
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Review from Amber C.
3/5/2011
Here a honu, there a honu, everywhere a honu!
I love the feeling of the black sand between my toes. It's not as hot as you would think (you know how regular, white sand gets super hot!) and the sand is a little more grainy than "regular" sand.Listed in: Hawai'i - The Big Island
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Review from Karen Y.
7/9/2011
There's turtles and black sand at this beach! TURTLES! Giant ones laying right on the sand! Enough reason.
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Review from Kathleen W.
Albany, CA
8/23/2011
Follow the signs off the freeway and head towards the water. Lock up your car and take your valuables with you or keep them hidden from sight. While the green sand beach was more olive (than emerald city green), this is unmistakably a black sand beach. Given the accessibility to the area, it'll be busy with sun bathers, swimmers, locals fishing and tourists. When we visited in mid August, we spotted many large sea turtles resting in the rocks and sunbathing on the waters edge. Don't be an asshole and obey the signs to keep your distance and leave these creatures alone.
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Review from S. M.
Naperville, IL
3/14/2011
Both the beach itself and the famous turtles here were really cool. Maybe I'm just projecting, but the turtles seemed kind of sad (part of that may be their ancient-looking faces, but also I wonder if they might want to be left alone. There were a lot of people there; I also thought the beach would be bigger, so they don't have a ton of space).
People seemed to be abiding by the "keep back from the turtles rule" (you'll see info everywhere about this online and in guidebooks, though signage on the beach was surprisingly minimal). The turtles are endangered, don't have an immunity to our assorted human funk and are supposed to be given a 15 foot berth -- still, I saw online a picture of some jackass kid, obviously taken by a parent, with his hands all over a turtle. Don't do it!! "Take only pictures, leave only footprints."
The sand really is black, not salt and pepper like so many of the beaches on the Hilo side, and it does get really hot, even on a not-so-hot day so make sure you have sandals at least!
Overall, a gorgeous natural setting, and a lovely spot to see some unusual creatures that you probably won't see anywhere else (outside an aquarium). Just give them the respect they deserve.Listed in: Out & About on the Big Island
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Review from Su-Lynn T.
New York, NY
12/30/2010
This beach is amazing, but not really for swimming, at least the day we went. The waves were rough and the waters were muddy. The draw here is for the beautiful black sand, gorgeous lagoon lined with palm trees, and best of all, the numerous giant sea turtles that come to the beach to hang.
We went one, gray-ish cloudy day not expecting to see much but we were unexpectedly delighted. We saw at least 9 turtles in various spots around the shore. Some were in the shallow rocky waters swimming or resting, and 2 of them were right on the beach sleeping. Lots of people were taking pictures looking on in amazement. Only in Hawaii would you be able to see such a sight!
This is a not to miss sight! It's easy to get to if you have a car. Just don't take any of the sand or rock with you as you know the urban legend...Listed in: Foodies take on Big Island
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Review from Curious L.
Mountain View, CA
4/21/2011
Easy access. There is picnic area, restroom, shower, changing room.
It was not crowded on the day we visited. At first, my kids did not want to go to a beach. We end up spending hours at the beach.
Be sure to stop by the Punaluu Bake Shop for a snack after visiting the beach. -
Review from Tim H.
1/16/2011
Easy to find off the highway between mile markers 56 and 57. I found easy parking and it is definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area.
Wasn't crowded at all when I stopped by. -
Review from Rami A.
Fort Worth, TX
9/4/2011
This is a great beach to stop at to see sea turtles just hanging out. We saw approximately six turtles either lounging on the rocks or in the water. I like that this is set up as a public beach with restrooms and picnic tables--even though we didn't use those facilities. We just walked around the beach, coconut trees, and deserted building behind a little pond that was kind of fun to explore (we just walked by the building, didn't go into it or anything). We were determined to find sea turtles during our trip and this was a great place to do it. I think it would be too hot to hang out on the black sand, but walking around it is certainly interesting and worth a stop.
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Review from Vira P.
9/6/2010 2 photos
Beautiful beach to admire. Just remember to be respectful to the turtles that bask on the beach.
And remember to not take any sand or rocks with you unless you want bad luck. -
Review from Anny Y.
South Pasadena, CA
10/24/2010
This is a MUST see if you visit Hawaii!
Blank sand is such a rare sight for the rest of the world, so if you get the rare chance to come by, I highly recommend it.
There are endangered nesting turtles there so don't disturb them! -
Review from Julie S.
6/20/2011
This was one of my favorite beaches. It was gorgeous. I probably spent a full hour just watching the beautiful blue water swirling in the crevices of the lava rocks. There were turtles in the surf. The was a gorgeous turtle sunning herself on the sand. We also loved the sassy grandma in the gift stand. Just thinking about her makes me smile.
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Review from Amanda K.
Santa Rosa, CA
12/1/2010
This is a very lovely beach indeed. As Greg K. points out, it is not as fine a sand as other beaches, and this did make it a wee bit uncomfortable to sit on in bare legs, but the view more than made up for it. I didn't see much in the way of tidepools to explore, but there was some, and I believe we were there when the tide was coming in anyway.
It was awesome to look up and see that from nowhere, turtles have appeared on the beach and are just hanging out.
Services like restrooms, showers, and picnic tables make this a very family-friendly beach that's great to hang around at for a few hours. -
Review from Victoria L.
San Francisco, CA
8/4/2011
It was on my personal "must see list" when we went to Big Island cuz I wanted to see a black sand beach as I've never seen one.
what more can you ask for...
* close look at turtles - come on!!! (note this was like last november)
* climb on black rocks and get a good picture w/ waves splashing
* black sand
Agreed that it was not a sunbathing/swimming beach as think thsi would be dangerous/difficult with visibility of black rocks/beach. -
Review from Adrienne g.
San Francisco, CA
6/6/2008
Punalu'u Beach Park - aka the Black Sand Beach is famous for 2 things:
Sea Turtles consider this a regular haunt & come up to sun themselves on a daily basis
Chris Isaak made the Wicked Game video on this beach & we ALL remember THAT video!
Unfortunately we saw neither Chris Isaak nor the Turtles but the beach was fantabulous! Chris wasn't making a video & the Turtles had already gone out w/ the high tide.....be sure to be there for LOW TIDE & you'll see them!
A smallish cove that has shady Palm Trees & little stands that sell postcards & snorkel stuff, you'll also find a big sign that says it's illegal to approach the turtles
They're endangered & don't need moronic humans pestering them when they're only trying to come up & get some warm sunshine - so back your asses off!
So bring a picnic lunch, your towels & sunscreen & camp out for a few hours to get some sun & share your beach w/ the TurtlesListed in: Big Island Hawaii Advice
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Review from Tatyana S.
Emeryville, CA
3/24/2010 2 photos
Punalu'u Black Sands Beach is the perfect place to see a green sea turtle. There are always there! Not the promise of the green sea turtles, 'if they feel like crawling up on the beach,' but actual turtles!
Great things about this park:
* it's in the middle of nowhere, so mostly locals come here and random tourists that stay at the golf club condos nearby
* plenty of parking
* boat and kayak ramp open to the public
* snorkeling is great by the reefs: you can see all the colorful fish and turtles as one big happy family
* a coastal trail leads about a mile away from the beach to the ruins of the first temple overlooking the mountains - absorb some history
* pick some funky-colored pieces of coral scattered on the lava cliffs along the way
* and, of course, observe, do not touch! the honu - green sea turtles.
Bring plenty of water on a sunny day. There are showers by the parking lot, but no potable water fountains!
**a nice perk - if you forgot to buy your souvenirs, there is a souvenir shack right on the beach.
****
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I could not be dragged away from there! Turtles rule!Listed in: Places to SEE in the U.S. of…
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Review from Jen S.
4/28/2008 4 photos
I can't believe that I forgot to Yelp this! This is a must-see beach because it's different from every other beach in that the color of the sand is black. I'm not really sure why the sand is black but it's not very soft and smooth like the white sand beaches that we think about. I've seen people wear flip flops onto the sand but the granules of the sand were bigger and much grittier so I just wore my sneakers. You can relax on the beach, swim, or snorkel although the day that my mom and I went, we didn't see anyone doing that.
This beach is located off Hwy 11, south of Hilo. Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles come up onto the beach and they are these huge creatures. Look but don't touch as they are endangered species. They're just enjoying the beach just as you are!Listed in: Big Island Recommendations
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Review from Christine A.
Cerritos, CA
8/8/2009
Indeed, this beach was so amazing. I'd never seen a black sand beach before, but I would definitely caution against taking off your foot coverings. The sand is composed of tiny, jagged volcanic rock that hurts to walk on.
I mean, your feet won't be bleeding or anything, but it won't be comfortable to walk on for most people. -
Review from Adrienne H.
Palo Alto, CA
3/29/2011
Cool black sand beach that we enjoyed stopping at enroute from Kona to Volcanoes. I don't know that it's worth making a special trip here, but it might be if you've never seen a black sand beach before. It was insanely windy here when we stopped in March 2011, so we didn't do much more than just hop out of the car & snap a couple pics. We didn't see any turtles, but we also didn't go wandering along the beach looking for them. It certainly didn't seem like a swimming beach and it looked like anyone who tried to swim would drown or be slammed into the rocks. But definitely a cool place to stop for a few minutes.
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Review from Eileen G.
San Antonio, TX
9/4/2010
Beautiful beach! My husband and I had already been in Hawaii but had little luck in seeing the sea turtles - we had seen them a few times in the ocean, but even arriving at beaches very early in the morning, we still weren't able to catch them basking on a beach. Just in the water swimming away rather quickly.
But at Punalu'u we saw some! They were beautiful creatures....my husband even shot a video of one turtle that was hanging out on the beach and made his way back to the water and swam off. It was very cool to watch.
The sand was so cool to see. The other black sand beach is supposedly in Waipio Valley and you can see it and drive down the hil from the lookout of you have a 4 wheel drive and enough time.
But if you go to the Big Island, you really should go to Punalu'u to see it. It can be a bit crowded, but it's amazing. -
Review from Joe L.
Irvine, CA
6/23/2011
Ok first of all guys, you go to Big Island for rain forests, fresh fish, and maybe volcano runs and/or snorkeling. If you want beaches, go to O'ahu or Maui, any place other than Hawai'i. Got it? Good.
Next order of business, it's nice. It's usually very quaint, even though there were tour buses that arrived when we did.
Two other notable things about the beach: 1, the toilets are amazing as far as beach bathrooms go; 2, that was the funkiest smelling beach I've ever been to.
Besides the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere and we drove basically 3 hours from Kona/Waikaloa to get there, it's the best beach available to Hawai'i. So again, if you're looking for beaches, this isn't the right island for you.
We heard there were sea turtles, but we didn't find any. If you want to see sea turtles, go to the sea turtle reserve on O'ahu.
Oh, and the sand is very black and very coarse. -
Review from Nivek M.
Pacifica, CA
6/17/2007
Also known as Punalu'u Beach Park this black sand beach is one of the best places to check out sea turtles on the Big Island. Whether sunning on the sand or swimming in the water it doesn't take very long to spot these very cool creatures.
And if you get hungry you can head over to the Punalu'u Bake Shop four miles or so down the road in Na'alehu. -
Review from Michael S.
Campbell, CA
7/13/2011
This is the best black sand beach on the island, and the only one we visited covered with the fine black sand you might expect to see (the others were more rocky). We also saw the most sea turtles here, with seven turtles sleeping on the beach when we visited.
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Review from Janet O.
1/29/2010 4 photos
BLACK SAND BEACH! Out of this world!!
After seeing the Green Sand Beach I gotta see this.
I was thinking black sand? How black can this be? It was black. It was again far but not difficult to get to. More touristy that the Green Sand Beach really. You drive in-park and then walk to the beach.
This beach is also frequented by Turtles. They're shy creatures and will leave when people try to be close.
There was barely anyone when we got there around 10 am. Turtles were just chiilin and hangin' out. Amazing creatures.
The beach is tree lined. Go when the sun is still high in the sky. Pictures are much better in this light. The dark sand is not very photogenic. You NEED lots of light in this environment to take good pics.Listed in: Hiking/Backpacking/ Day Hikes/…
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Review from Janelle W.
Detroit, MI
12/28/2007 1 photo
Incredible black sand beach rumored to have healing powers. The black sand alone is a spectacular sight. Even more spectacular, though, are the many honu (Hawaiian sea turtles) that poke their heads out of the waves throughout the day. This is the best place in Hawaii to see honu in their natural habitats.
The black sand gets very warm under the daytime sunshine. Locals like to bury their arms or legs in the warm sand to soothe aching knees, sore joints, and other ailments.
Don't expect to do much swimming at this beach. It's more of a protected wildlife area than a surf-and-swim kind of beach. It's also rocky, so be careful around the rough lava rocks. -
Review from Veronica P.
Chino Hills, CA
7/29/2007 6 photos
This is a very cool beach, one of the few black sand beaches on the island. There is even a green sand beach further north, but is only accessible by 4 WD or a very long hike.
Anyway, the most spectacular thing about this beach is the many sea turtles that line the shore. This beach is protected, both for the turtles sake and maybe more importantly, it is illegal to take any of the sand off of the beach. The sand is very coarse and rocky, after all it is just pulverized lava.
The beach is mainly just a sightseeing spot as swimming would be very difficult among the many rock formations along the beach. It is definitely worth a visit if you're on your way to the volcano from the Kona side. And as a an added treat, Punalu'u Bake Shop is up the road a few miles for malasadas that I think are better than Tex Drive-In.Listed in: Big Island Adventures
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Review from Ian S.
8/21/2008 1 photo
A cool black sand beach found along the way.
Black sand is a bit crunchier and sharper than I expected it to be, but shouldn't have been such a surprise when I stopped to think about it.
You should take the time to visit and just walk along the (fairly short) beach and watch the waters if you're driving past.
If you planned ahead, you could have a picnic in the green areas. -
Review from Dwight R.
Dublin, CA
8/5/2010
Windy as hell, but can you beat seeing 3 turtles relaxing in the sun? We expected to stay here for just a few minutes on our way back from the Volcanoes, but hung out for hours. Couldn't snorkel or swim(waves were wayyyy too strong), but you can't beat the sand and you can't beat 3 turtles...
well, you could, but that's a $10,000 fine and instant bad karma for life. -
Review from Aaron M.
Mendocino, CA
1/2/2011
Great beach, this stretch has it all! A quiet lagoon with picturesque surrondings, a point out where the waves break, several good picnic spots, tidal pools for the kids, a snack shack for cold drinks, etc! The sea turtles really are the highlight however, as there are usually a few to be found here. Please keep them coming back by keeping your distance! There are several signs warning people to stay away from the turtles but feel free to remind those who somehow miss the signs ;-)
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Review from Margaret R.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2009
We were going to camp here, but didn't actually end up doing it.
However, the beach itself is very nice. I thought the sand was nice to walk on. It was cool seeing black sand after spending some time at the green sand beach. There was a sea turtle that was laying out on the sand. We were the only ones excited about it so I guess it's a common sight there (everyone else was a local). -
Review from Robert C.
Marietta, GA
11/14/2009
Other than this place being really, really friggin far away from EVERYTHING, it was an amazing experience.
We got pictures with three Sea Turtles and the sand is beautiful. The facilities are a little rough, but at least the place has a restroom. -
Review from Kara V.
8/8/2010
If you come to Hawaii you just have to see the Black Sand beach. Yes, the sand is really black. The ocean is nice and warm. We took a walk up one way and returned. This beach is a great place to see the green sea turtles, just all wallowing around. Never seen anything like this in my life!
