Punaluʻu Beach

Punaluʻu Beach, also known as Black Sand Beach, is a black basalt shore on Hawaiʻi’s southern coast formed when lava met the ocean. Fresh groundwater entering the bay creates cold patches in the sea and is tied in local tradition to the place name and stories of underwater water gathering during drought. The beach is known for endangered and threatened sea turtles, as well as other rare native wildlife and fragile wetlands, springs, and anchialine pools nearby. Its surroundings preserve pre-contact heiau, remnants of the Ala Kahakai trail, and Hōkūloa Church, while later golf and resort development brought repeated pressure to a place still valued for scenery, culture, and ecology.

Naalehu, Hawaii · United States