While there are several black sand beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach is one of the largest and most popular. If you are not familiar with the Big Island of Hawaii, the black sand is created from the black volcanic rocks so you are not likely to find too many black sand beaches elsewhere.
While the beach is located on the southern point of the island, which is not as busy as the Kohala Coast, this beach always has plenty of people and services so is one of the safer beaches to be at on the southern portion of the island. While there is a lifeguard, this is not one of the safer beaches to swim at due to surf and currents. You can take a quick dip in the water in certain areas, but it is not one of the more popular beaches for swimming. If you happen to show up and the waters are calm and there is not a current, there can be some great snorkeling. The lifeguard stand is quick to note if there are currents or the water is unsafe. Since it is a longer black sand beach, it does make for some nice walks along the ocean and it is a favorite spot for sea turtles so it is possible to see some of them basking in the sun.
Like Kiholo Bay, there is a lot of underground fresh water that flows into the bay making the waters there more unique than other areas of the island. Areas that are like this often attract more sea life as well as different species.
Amenities of Punalu’u Black Sand Beach include a shack that sells various items such as t-shirts, a lifeguard, picnic tables, and public restrooms. There are remnants of what used to be a beautiful beachfront restaurant area that will hopefully be developed again.
Make sure to take plenty of water as well as sunblock. Due to the black sand attracting the sunlight, vacationers can easily get burnt if they do not apply sunblock regularly. Since the black sand can get hotter than your typical sand, make sure to bring slippers.