Hawaii's newest black sand beach created by Kilauea eruption opens

The new black sand beach at Pohoiki Beach Park was officially opened on January 6. Screenshot / hawaii.com

The eruption of the Kilauea volcano in May 2018 had devastating effects on Hawaii's largest island, known as the Big Island, with houses destroyed and millions of tourism dollar lost.

However, there was a silver lining in all that destruction – the eruption also created Hawaii's newest black sand beach, located at Pohoiki Beach Park.

The popular park, officially called Isaac Kepoʻokalani Hale Beach Park, was closed to the public for at least six months due to the Kilauea eruption, as lava flow blocked access.
But as of January 6, Hawaii's newest beach is open to enjoy.

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Pohoiki is one of the newest black sand beaches in the world (Aug 2018). The grains of sand are very large at this beach but will eventually break up into a finer sand with time. . . . . . . . #blacksandbeach #blacksand #pohoiki #bigisland #destination_wow #havealohawilltravel #folkportrait #beachvibes #venturehawaii #luckywelivehawaii #oceanvibes #nakedhawaii #beachy #alohaoutdoors #aquaholic #saltlife #vitaminsea #vitaminsea🌊 #saltescape #hawaiianairlines #thepursuitofjoyproject #islandhopping #hnnsmile #thestoked #paradiseisland #islandvibes #tropicalvibes #discoverhawaii #hiddenhawaii

A post shared by ⛰🌺Hidden.Hawaii🌅🌊 (@hidden.hawaii) on Jan 10, 2019 at 1:19pm PST

"This new park created is dedicated as a safe and peaceful place for our families," said the county Department of Parks and Recreation in a news release. "Please kokua to keep it a nice and safe place for the ohana."

Visitors are encouraged to visit the new beach, but to use caution, CNN reports. While a lifeguard is on duty, swimming isn't recommended due to strong currents and a dangerous shore break, according to the county of Hawaii's Department of Parks and Recreation.

Due to lava damage to the area's water lines, no drinking water is available. And while the lava flow also created four natural thermal pools, they're not ready to be used yet as they haven't been disinfected.

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Buried in the newest sand at the newest beach in the world by some new friends.

A post shared by Shannon Motteler (@shannonmotteler) on Jan 7, 2019 at 11:25pm PST

So for now, all visitors can really do is relax and enjoy the beauty of the new black sand beach – and pictures posted on Instagram show they've been doing just that.