Popular Beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii

Posted on Sunday, October 11, 2009

The beaches of this magnificent island run the range from white to black – and are all bounded by beautiful emerald seas that offer a full variety of watersports.

Green Sand Beach – If you’re looking for something adventurous, try a 5-mile round-trip hike across various terrains to see this rare, green-sand beach. Because of its relatively remote location at the very southern tip of the island and the hike it takes to get there, this beach is usually less crowded than others.

Hapuna Beach – One of the best white-sand beaches on the island, Hunpa is great for snorkeling, swimming, surfing, and bodyboarding. It’s about 1 mile long, and it can get a bit crowded on weekends.

Punaluu Beach – If you want to see a black-sand beach, this is your spot. The rich, dark sand glistens in the sun, giving it an otherworldly feel. An if the black sand gets too hot, just scoop up the beach and sit underneath the many palm trees. Huge green sea turtles often lumber ashore to sun themselves there.