Woke up before sunrise feeling restless
Grabbed my worn-out backpack and tossed stuff in without overthinking it – reef-safe sunscreen, water jug, that scratchy beach towel I always forget to replace. The truck’s engine coughed twice before roaring alive when I turned the key. Drove through dim streets with just dashboard lights glowing, sipping cold coffee from yesterday’s thermos. Saw the sign for Punalau Beach around 5:30am, sky turning that soft pink color like cotton candy.
First steps on the sand
Parked near those crooked ironwood trees scraping the sky. Heard waves before I saw them – this deep, rumbling growl. Sand felt cool between my toes walking down the slope. Noticed three things right away:
- Zero people anywhere (score!)
- Sharp black lava rocks framing both ends
- Sticky smell of seaweed rotting near tide line
Did my weird beach ritual
Always do this thing where I walk the whole shoreline first. Started left side, balancing on wet sand where waves just retreated. Saw purple sea snail shells cracked open by birds. Then halfway, spotted a sea turtle head bobbing maybe 20 feet out! Froze and watched it dive, leaving bubbles behind.
Big mistake: Took off shoes to wade near rocks. Slipped on mossy stone and soaked my shorts. Water was colder than I expected, like ice needles on my legs. Laughed at myself loud enough that some sandpipers scattered.
Sunbreak chaos
Around 9am, sun punched through clouds. Suddenly everything looked different:
- Sand went from gray to golden brown
- Ocean shifted from murky green to bright teal
- Heat came down heavy like a blanket
Smeared sunscreen everywhere while getting sand in my hair. Tried swimming but waves kept shoving me toward the rocks. Gave up and just floated on my back instead, staring at sky so blue it hurt my eyes.
Pack-up reality check
Sunburn started itching during the hike back to the truck. Realized I’d forgotten snacks (again). Found sand in places sand shouldn’t be and a dead hermit crab stuck in my backpack zipper. That old beach towel left rusty streaks on my skin. Still felt good driving away though – windows down, salty crust on my arms, sleepy from sun and waves.
