Perfect waves for body surfing

The Big Island is made of lava all the way to the ocean floor, and lava is hard and sharp and will cut you up like razor wire if you rub against it.  You don’t want to swim or body surf near lava rock.  Luckily the stuff breaks down in wind and surf action to form a granular black sand, which is the basis for many Big Island beaches.  A few are white sand beaches, formed from decomposed reefs and crustaceans bleached white over time.  These are the most dramatic, as well as softer to the touch.

A happy crew at the snorkeling beach. It had black sand and lava outcroppings to navigate before getting to the beautiful reefs.

We rented snorkel gear from Snorkel Bob’s the first day we were in Hawai’i and found several opportunities to explore underwater reefs right off the shore.  Betsy was delighted, of course, and identified quite a number of colorful fish and other marine-life species.

We also found an afternoon to body surf on a nearby white sand beach.  The waves were perfectly sized for a long ride without rip tide or undertow action to account for.

Long wave rides on a relaxing day at the beach.