Here’s some of the beaches we went to:

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach on the south shore near the volcano.   We were able to see quite a few sleeping sea turtles just lying out on the black sand.  Neat.  There were also some wild ducks.  I don’t think Monty was all that impressed with the black sand, but I still love the place, it is so different. 

On the trip to Hilo we went swimming at Ahalanui Beach Park, also called Millionaire Pool.  This is a great place.  It’s just like a great big hot tub with salt water and large waves coming up over the rock wall at the ocean side.

Mauna Kea Beach, located at one of the resorts just north of Kona about 30 miles.  It was a pretty beach, but the swimming and snorkeling wasn't all that good as the water was cloudy.

Hapuna Beach, located in the same area.  We stopped but didn’t go in because we thought we would come back.  A nice beach for snorkeling, but never made it back, just too much to do.

Whittington Park Beach, located on the south side of the island on the way to South Point.  It is a county park and is visited by the locals.  Very nice and quiet park and Beach.

Natural Energy Ponds, also called Wawaloli Beach.  What a great spot, the water is heated by natural underground springs and the waves are blocked by a natural break water, which sends them 20-30 feet into the air. 

The beach is a nice soft sand beach and the airplanes fly right over your head to land at the airport just down the road.  It really is quite a trip to lay there in the shallow waters with waves crashing over head and HUGE air planes flying over head.  A must go back, not to many fish, but still a fun place.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau or Place of Refuge, is not to far south from Kona and is a National Monument.  We purchased our Golden Age pass there.  What a great place and full of the ancient Hawaiian history.  This is the place where a villager accused of a crime would swim to after being thrown off of a canoe miles from shore.  If he made it to the "Place of Refuge", he was safe.

You can't swim in the Park, but next door is a boat launch and the snorkeling is great.  Monty was swimming with a sea turtle!

Honokohau Beach, near the Kona harbor of the same name.  We had out last meal on Hawaii at the harbor. 

This was a nice sand beach and we walked south towards Kona to the next beach which I believe is called Ai’opio Beach. 

We saw sea turtles napping on the beach.  It wasn’t a good area to snorkel, at least not that day.  Didn’t know about the Queen’s Bath, which I understand is just the opposite direction or we might have tried to find it.  Maybe next time.

White Sands Beach Park/Resort, south of Kona, has some good snorkeling when the sea is calm.  We stopped by one day for a short swim. 

I had stayed there many years before with my mom and Step-dad Jim and we had such a great time.  The beach at that time was called Disappearing Beach, because the white sand would go out with the tide and then come back in with the tide, it was neat to watch.

Kahalu’u Beach Park, just south of Kona and White Sands Beach.  We didn’t go in.  It was so busy as it was a weekend, that we decided to come back, but ran out of time and never made it.

Green Sand (Mahana) Beach, is on the south side of the Island near South Point.  We didn't go there as we didn’t have a four wheel drive vehicle and didn’t think it was a good idea to try it without such.