Yes, Big Island is much bigger than the other islands! The touristy areas of Waikoloa etc. are a good 30-40 minute drive from the airport in the opposite direction from the volcano NP. The beaches in that area are much better but the ocean can be very rough that time of the year. We found that the best bet for ocean swimming in Hawaii around Christmas was the lagoons of Ko Olina on Oahu. When the North Shore was having record waves, we could still swim across those lagoons! 
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