Photos of Punaluʻu Beach

The black sand beach is located on the east of the big island. From the black sand beach, the North Atlantic Ocean is endless. The black sand and the white waves form a strong contrast in the sun. The formation of black sand beaches The formation of black sand beaches is related to volcanism. In an ancient submarine volcanic eruption, the mud layer on the bottom of the sea was turned out of the ground and mixed with the mud on the seashore. The effect of the wind for many years has forced the lava and soil to be broken into pieces, and finally turned into the endless black sand beach today. Tourists will feel the darkness when they first arrive here. At first glance, even the sea water is black. In fact, it is not because the beach is black, and the sea water against the black sand is also black. But if you look closely, the sea is still blue, and the coconut trees and some green plants on the sand form a sharp contrast with the black. Black sand beach is pure black sand, a little rough, but the sand is still very fine offshore. Stepping on the black sand beach with bare feet, there is no feeling of pricking your feet at all, and the delicate and soft touch can make people relax quickly and start to appreciate and enjoy this peculiar beach. People who enjoy sunbathing like to tan themselves into reddish brown are very keen to come here to bask in the sun, because the black sand absorbs sunlight better, which can make them tan faster, so many people come here to sunbathe. Turtles and hawksbill turtles Of course, humans are not the only ones who like to sunbathe here. Two local animals, hawksbill turtles and green turtles, also visit here from time to time, lying leisurely on the black sand beach and enjoying the sun. But because they are rare species here, in order not to disturb them, there are warning signs on the beach to remind tourists not to touch the turtles, and to keep a distance of more than 5 meters even when taking pictures.