Hawaii/Big Island: Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

One of the most beautiful beaches on the Big Island )and it has quite a few), the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach is stunningly blacks with fresh lava sand, a beautiful crescent of a coastline bounded with lava rocks and pounding waves. The beach is also known for endangered sea turtles, known as honu in Hawaiian, that often bask on the shore. These are the green sea turtles and there are dozens in the water and often in the shore – you are almost guaranteed to see them. The beach is situated along the southeastern coast of the Big Island, where volcanic activity has shaped much of the landscape.