ALOHA!
So what are among 2 of the top things to do on the Big Island?!
- See turtles!
- See a black sand beach!
And, with a visit to the Punaluu Black Sand Beach Park, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to check off 2 of the Big Island bucket list items at once!
You will definitely see a black sand beach with a visit to Punaluu Beach.
As far as seeing turtles at the Punaluu black sand beach, there is a chance that you might not see them.
Turtles are wildlife (marine life) after all, so it’s not a 100% guarantee that you’ll have the chance for a turtle sighting.
But at least they are predictable in the sense that they do visit this beach often.
Big Island turtle beach: You could call Punaluu Black Sand Beach the “turtle beach” of the Big Island!
Punaluu Black Sand Beach is the beach on the Big Island that is known as a location where turtles frequently come up onto shore and lay on the beach.
So if you’re looking for a “turtle beach” on the Big Island, Punaluu Black Sand Beach can be it!
For a great chance of being able to see turtles on the Big Island without snorkeling or stepping foot into the ocean, Punaluu Black Sand Beach is the Big Island beach that you want to go to!
Punaluu Black Sand Beach is where you can see turtles on the beach on the Big Island. (Or probably where you have the best chance to see turtles on the beach on the Big Island!)
You might see turtles swimming off the shores of Punaluu Black Sand Beach too!
You may be able to see them swimming without going swimming yourself, but you could also get in the water to go snorkeling and swim with them!
I visited Punaluu Beach 3 times in the span of a week, and I saw turtles every time!
And basically there were 3 main areas that I saw the turtles. (On some days I saw them in 2 different areas.) More below on where you have a chance at spotting turtles!
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Here are some popular activities you need to know about to get some very-Hawaii experiences! Read the reviews on the partner websites listed below!
You can swim with manta rays on the Big Island!
Read the reviews for the manta ray tour on viator and the manta ray tour on getyourguide.
🌺 Eat Hawaiian food at a luau with a fire show! Have a look at the Hale Hoaloha Luau
🐠 The most popular Big Island snorkeling tours are the ones that go to Kealakekua Bay! aka the Captain Cook snorkeling spot!
Read the reviews for the Captain Cook snorkeling tours on viator and the Captain Cook tours on getyourguide.
🐠 If you're going snorkeling (or to the beach!), here are things you must consider packing for Hawaii!
You can find these things on Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate.
- Swimsuit or swimming shirt aka rash guard
- rash guard: swim set for women and swim shirt for men
- Water shoes
- Waterproof phone case (so you can capture pictures of fishies underwater!)
- cheapo phone case OR waterproof camera
- I also have this "camera" wrist float to attach to my cheapo waterproof phone case so my phone won't sink to the bottom of the ocean in case I somehow let go of it. (Mine does stay afloat - test this for yourself before completely trusting it!)
- Swimming goggles or snorkeling mask set
- Reef-safe(r) sunscreen
- lightweight travel towel
- walking sandals perfect for Hawaii
- teva is a popular outdoor shoe brand
- teva sandals for women
- teva sandals for men
I also don't go snorkeling in Hawaii without a personal swim float buoy. Not only does it help to keep me visible, but it makes for a perfect way to rest out in deeper water! Oh, and it also serves as a dry bag so I can take stuff into the water with me.
Another way I have taken valuables into the water with me is to wear a travel money belt that I don't mind getting wet with salt water (it's not waterproof but I have several so I just use one of them) and then I put things in a ziplock freezer bag, and put that freezer bag in the money belt.
There are also designated waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
How to save money on your trip
I tend to use booking.com or hotels.com to look for the cheapest hotels. See the Lava Lodge. You can also try the expedia hotels site (see the Aloha Crater Lodge) or see if you like any of the vrbo vacation rentals.
Search for the cheapest car rentals at the Kona airport.
/end side note
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When to go to Punaluu black sand beach
The Punaluu black sand beach can be a perfect part of your Big Island itinerary when you make the drive from Kona to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
And Punaluu Beach isn’t the only black sand beach on the Big Island. If you’re interested in more (probably no turtle spotting), there are more black sand beaches on the Big Island with amazing overlooks! And for another colored beach, many people make a trip to the green sand beach on the same day as Punaluu Beach.
And if you’ll be headed to another Hawaiian island:
Where on Punaluu black sand beach to see turtles?!
This will basically be a walk-through of the beach and where I saw turtles during my visits to the beach!
Parking at Punaluu black sand beach park
There are 2 main parking lots at this beach park.
To see turtles, it doesn’t matter too much which lot you park at since this beach is not that long.
But, so you can walk from one end to the other directly, this turtle spotting beach walk will start at the parking lot that you’ll reach from taking Ninole Loop Road off the highway.
This is the parking lot that’s closer to the bathrooms, if that matters. 😉
This is also at the south end of the beach.
So once you’ve parked…
Walk to the black sand beach!
Yes, it really is BLACK!
You’ll see old lava rocks everywhere on this beach.
And then…
The turtle spotting beach walk
So once you start walking across the beach, in a very short time you may come across an area of beach that is seemingly blocked off by rocks.
If the blocked off area is there, it will also come with signs about not getting too close to the turtles.
The sign reads:
- Please give turtles space
- Please never touch turtles
- Please never feed turtles
This is your first indication that this is a spot that turtles like to rest up at!
I saw 2 turtles laying in this area on one of the days I went to the beach.
This was also the area that I saw one turtle swim off into the ocean too.
Then, continuing the beach walk…
Lifeguard tower
Well, side note, one of the things that makes this a nice beach (aside from the bathrooms of course) is that there is a lifeguard here.
One of the days that I went to the beach, there were cones set up in front of the lifeguard tower.
Because…
There was a turtle!
I saw one turtle here on one of the days I was at the beach.
Then, continuing the beach walk…
You’ll come across the other parking lot. This one actually has less parking spaces, so you might even have better luck with parking at the other parking lot anyway.
And then, keep walking basically to the other end of the beach.
As you’re walking, keep an eye out on the water, because you might see turtles popping their heads out!
Unlike the other sections of the beach in which the turtles came to rest on shore, it’s in this area that I saw several turtles swimming in the water on multiple days!
So if you want to go swimming with turtles on the Big Island, it seems that this might be the best spot on the beach to go snorkeling.
The way I saw them was from shore when they would pop their heads up.
If you’re in the water, you might see even more that are just feeding on food underwater.
So, you might want to get in the water here to go snorkeling for some fun swimming alongside turtles! (But not too close!)
So if swimming with turtles is on your Big Island bucket list, then you might try Punaluu black sand beach to see if you can check it off your list!
And then…
This end of the beach can be a good area to find a spot to rest up at a picnic table or under the palm trees.
Otherwise…
Walk back to the parking lot!
Be sure to check the same areas to see if more turtles have arrived!
Turtles come and go so new ones might come, and the ones you saw earlier might also have left!
And then…
What else to do near the black sand beach?!
If you’re trying to figure out how to make this black sand beach a part of your Big Island itinerary…
A perfect day might be:
- Visit to the green sand beach
- Visit to South Point aka the southernmost part of the US
- Visit to the black sand beach!
A perfect day on the south coast of the Big Island with the black sand beach
Visit the Papakolea green sand beach
Visit South Point park
I saw a pod of dolphins swimming off the coast here!
Visit Punaluu black sand beach to see turtles
Also, the drive from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to Punaluu black sand beach is around a 30 minute drive. So it can also be reasonable to go for a visit to this beach on the day you visit the national park.
HAPPY VISIT TO PUNALUU BLACK SAND BEACH TO SEE TURTLES ON THE BIG ISLAND!
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Where to stay near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Read the reviews at partner website!
- Volcano House (book sooner rather than later! This is THE lodging of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and it's in demand!)
- Lava Lodge at Hale Kilauea
- More budget-friendly option: Aloha Crater Lodge
Here are some ideas for your time on the Big Island!
Among the most popular things to do on the Big Island are Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls State Park, and Waipio Valley!
For Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the main road to drive is Chain of Craters Road and it will take you to see the best lava fields in Hawaii! Before that though (or after!) you will want to make a stop for the Thurston lava tube. You can also hike into a former lava lake by doing the Kilauea Iki Trail!
Other Big Island activities you may want to make time for are the best black sand beaches in Hawaii (including Punaluu black sand beach to see turtles maybe!) and the Papakolea green sand beach of Hawaii.
👇 Explore the Big Island map on google maps!
See the list:
- Things to do on the Big Island (for VIEWS!)
- Things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Things to do in Kona