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Punaluu Black Sand Beach, Pāhala, HI

Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsIconicOutdoor Adventure

Punaluu Black Sand Beach

Walk a beach of black basalt sand on the Big Island's Kaʻū coast and watch green sea turtles resting on the shore.

Punaluʻu Beach Park, off the Hawaiʻi Belt Road between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu · Pāhala, HI

About Punaluu Black Sand Beach

Punaluʻu is a black sand beach on the Kaʻū coast of the Big Island, between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu off the Hawaiʻi Belt Road. The sand is basalt, made when lava flowing into the ocean shatters as it cools. Threatened green sea turtles often bask on the beach, and visitors must stay 20 feet away from them. The swimming area is very rocky and can be dangerous, so most people come to walk and watch. The county beach park has pavilions, and petroglyphs sit in a walled area past the parking lot.

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  • #sea turtles
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  • #petroglyphs

What's around here?

The closest stops to Punaluu Black Sand Beach, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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    Transit: reachable by public transit

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    33 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

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    36 mi awayMore like this

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    47 mi awayMore like this

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    Check prices

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    48 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

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