Punaluʻu Beach

Sparkling black sand beach that usually has green sea turtles, we had the luck to see and endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal on the beach just hanging out. Wear sandals as the sand does get hot 🔥

Beautiful black sand beach. And a beautiful view of the bay. Also saw a couple of green turtles here. Visited this at about 3pm on a weekend, and there were quite a few parking spots available. The beach was also not that crowded at that time. There are restrooms available too.

Not black small rocks, not dirty sand, but actual sand in black color, really cool. View is great, wind is strong, and TURTLES!

We really enjoyed this beach! It's beautiful and you can see some sea turtles. There were about 8 turtles huddled together in one area in the beach. And there was a part of the beach with more waves, and a part with fewer waves. Note, if you can't find parking in the main entrance (small parking lot), there is some overflow parking a few minutes of a walk away.

My favorite beach on the big island. The black sand is so soft on your feet, turtle is laying out, nice breeze, bathrooms nearby, picnic tables. What a great place!

This beach was absolutely beautiful. There were so many turtles resting and basking in the sun right on the beach. The black sand was soft and the water was clear. There was a food truck and multiple fruit stands. There were also real bathrooms!!!!

If you're wanting to visit a black sand beach during your visit, this is a fantastic one! It's easily accessible, has a few facilities (such as tables and a lifeguard), and doesn't require a hike to get to. Of course, that does make it pretty popular and it can get a bit crowded! We were there pretty early (around 10 am) but it was already getting a bit filled up. Even though there were a lot of people around, we still got to see turtles! Not on the beach, but in the water, which was very cool. I was expecting it to be too busy for them to be around! The trees provided nice shade, which was great because the sand gets HOT fast!

Sand is hot if you arrive after 9am ish, so bring sand shoes! Lots of green Hawaiian sea turtles (keep your distance!!) and the sparkling waters and black sands are incredible. Also cool are the lava flows out into the ocean, teeming with crabs and birds. Beach has public restrooms and freshwater showers to rinse off in.

Sparkling black sand beach that usually has green sea turtles, we had the luck to see and endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal on the beach just hanging out. Wear sandals as the sand does get hot 🔥

Beautiful black sand beach. And a beautiful view of the bay. Also saw a couple of green turtles here. Visited this at about 3pm on a weekend, and there were quite a few parking spots available. The beach was also not that crowded at that time. There are restrooms available too.

Not black small rocks, not dirty sand, but actual sand in black color, really cool. View is great, wind is strong, and TURTLES!

We really enjoyed this beach! It's beautiful and you can see some sea turtles. There were about 8 turtles huddled together in one area in the beach. And there was a part of the beach with more waves, and a part with fewer waves. Note, if you can't find parking in the main entrance (small parking lot), there is some overflow parking a few minutes of a walk away.

My favorite beach on the big island. The black sand is so soft on your feet, turtle is laying out, nice breeze, bathrooms nearby, picnic tables. What a great place!

This beach was absolutely beautiful. There were so many turtles resting and basking in the sun right on the beach. The black sand was soft and the water was clear. There was a food truck and multiple fruit stands. There were also real bathrooms!!!!

If you're wanting to visit a black sand beach during your visit, this is a fantastic one! It's easily accessible, has a few facilities (such as tables and a lifeguard), and doesn't require a hike to get to. Of course, that does make it pretty popular and it can get a bit crowded! We were there pretty early (around 10 am) but it was already getting a bit filled up. Even though there were a lot of people around, we still got to see turtles! Not on the beach, but in the water, which was very cool. I was expecting it to be too busy for them to be around! The trees provided nice shade, which was great because the sand gets HOT fast!

Sand is hot if you arrive after 9am ish, so bring sand shoes! Lots of green Hawaiian sea turtles (keep your distance!!) and the sparkling waters and black sands are incredible. Also cool are the lava flows out into the ocean, teeming with crabs and birds. Beach has public restrooms and freshwater showers to rinse off in.

This is a must stop when visiting the Big Island, the natural beauty of the Black Sands is so unique, got to see a few Sea Turtles taking a break on the shore, the parking lot is kind of small for such a popular destination so be prepared to wait for an available spot.

I've been fortunate to visit this beach 3 times and it's such a cool spot to go to! Every time I've gone there has been sea turtles. The black sand is definitely impressive. There's a lot of space to park but even on the Thursday we were there, space was limited! They had a lifeguard on duty. Waves were pretty choppy, so we didn't go in the water but several people were visiting the beach this day.

This beach is unlike any other I've been to before. The black sand is coarse but relatively soft, and the beach is very clean. Turtles were spotted swimming in the water and basking in a protected area of the beach. The closest parking lot is a bit small, but there is a larger lot by the camping area and bathrooms, and another parking lot is father down the road behind the abandoned buildings (not as scary as it sounds). The rightmost sandy area had slightly warmer water that was better for swimming or boogie boarding. There was not a broad field of vision for snorkeling on the day we went due to the dark sand and cloudy skies. There are plenty of picnic tables and a couple of vendors selling coconuts and other goods.

The black sands of Punalu'u may have been the highlight of our one-day visit to the Big Island. The sand was, indeed, black, reasonably fine, and distinctly warm. Mildly surprising considering the remoteness of the place was that the beach was active with normal beachgoers, surfers, and snorkelers. An area of the beach was set aside for green sea turtles with half a dozen or more basking on the beach or bobbing in and out of the tidepools at the water's edge. With all of its many curiosities, the black sand beach was definitely a hit with us!

Beautiful scenery drive to location. Very clean and very blue waters. I loved it Recommend!!

This is truly an amazing beach. There are rarely any people here, local or tourist. The restroom is clean and parking is easy. There are great pictures to be taken here. I like that you can literally get out of your car, walk a short distance to the beach or restroom and back to your car. The only issue I have with this place is that there is construction leading to and from it, so sometimes there's a delay. I'll be back for sure when in the area. Definitely worth a visit when on Oahu.

This beach is quite, easily accessible and breathtakingly gorgeous! Stop by a shrimp truck to get some food and just sit out watch the waves!!

The drive from the kohola beach is LONG, just to see the black sand and turtles. It is just black sand but you have to do it once right? It's an average beach and no one really stays here it is more of a tourist attraction. It was a two hours to get here and we only stayed for no more than 30 minutes

No black sand in sight. However there are black rocks along the beach. I would recommend using directions on the Apple Maps/google maps. Using the maps on this app brings you somewhere 30 min from the actual beach.

The black sand was so interesting, and it was amazing to see so many turtles. Highly recommend wearing shoes or sandals as the San can be painful to walk on. Easy to get to but a lot of people around. Overall it's amazing.

This beach is located on the Island of Oahu, between Ka'a'awa and Hauula, as you drive from Honolulu to Laie on Kamehameha Highway. There are a couple of reviews on this site that states that this beach has black sand - NEGATIVE! That Black Sand beach has the same name (Punalu'u), but it is situated on the Big Island of Hawai'i. THAT Punalu'u Beach has black sand because of the volcano and lava on that island. Oahu is an "older" island and therefore does not have black sand because the volcanoes on Oahu are no longer active. Anyway, I was on my way to Laie from Kaneohe, and stopped by this beach for some fresh air. Needed to stretch the legs and break up the "long" one-hour drive. (LOL!) Punalu'u Beach is known for fishing and camping. It's a bit "rough", so swimming could be more challenging. Free parking is alongside the road. There are no marked stalls, so please kokua and be thoughtful of our neighbors. Bring bathroom tissue to the restroom - just in case. This is the country where no sidewalks exist. Just enjoy the raw, untamed, natural environment where tourists rarely visit...

Awesome beach! We were hoping to see some me turtles on land but weren't so lucky. A very easy to access beach and worth the visit.

Nice and small beach along the Kamehameha Highway. You can easily park on the side of the road. Worth the visit and it's probably best if you use shoes instead of sandals when checking out Punalu'u Beach.

The Oahu one, love this beach. Great for kids and feel so clean. Every time I go, lots of parking. I love the park car, bathroom and beach. All within 15 feet. It's not that fun walking on a long journey with all your kids and all your stuff to the ocean. Got grass so the stuff doesn't get to sandy. No homeless, hardly any people. It has good current and mini waves so the younger kids can practice their shore break skills and get ready for Sandy's in couple years. A couple feet in, it is all rocks but I don't mind.