Richardson Ocean Park

Incredible island oasis! Lava pools for swimming and snorkeling. This is the kind of park ya dream of.

Great for snorkeling and sea turtle viewing. Bring some good water shoes because it’s very rocky

Summary: four stars for accessibility and conditions
It was a pretty good place, but not what we were expecting. Snorkeling and swimming were available here, but there were a lot of rocks near the shore so it was a bit difficult to find a place to get in without being smashed against the rocks by the waves. There was one area where it was easier to get in (by the lifeguard), but families with little kids usually crowd that area and stay in the shallow waters. They had showers and bathrooms, so that’s a plus. If you go snorkeling a bit out in the deeper waters, there are fish. The downside to the area is the trees growing around it. Many of the trees shed pine needles, and that got into the water. So, more than once, when I came up for a breath of air when swimming, I had to spit out pine needles. Not exactly ideal. Near the shores, there is a lot of sand beneath your feet as you wade into the water. But as you get further, it is all rocks. And yes, it is black sand. We were looking for sea turtles, as some locals told us tht they were usually sighted here, but were unfortunately unable to find any. There is another beach park on the drive here — Carlsmith Beach Park. We were unable to visit due to time constraints, but it seemed a bit more hospitable from afar. In conclusion, this was a pretty good location, but with some drawbacks.

We loved this park. It is very very clean and well kept. No sea turtles when we were there, but I would definitely recommend

We trekked 30 minutes out of the way to go to this beach but it was not worth it. it appeared to be a beach mainly for locals and wasn’t in the greatest area of town. The beach itself couldn’t really be called a beach; the sandy part is super tiny. There were 3 kids digging in the sand and that took up all the sand. The rest of the area is black lava rock, which was pretty but not what we came for. I wouldn’t bother targeting this site; there are much nicer places to see and go in Hilo.

Even for beginners snorkeling is pretty nice here. The rocks keep the waves outside and you see a lot of different kind of fishes near the beach (black sand). The beach is not so nice regarding relaxing. We only went for snorkeling, got straight into the water and went afterwards directly home. A lifeguard was on duty while we were here.
During the weekend slightly crowded. At a weekday we were by ourselves.

We went here for summer vacation and it was beautiful.
The water was beautiful, and at the entrance there are palm trees with small ponds around it that makes it looks gorgeous.
The sand is indeed black which was pretty cool, it’s also a great place to snorkel. I’d give it 4.5 stars, the only small small thing I noticed was that the entrance to the water on the beach is small, and gets crowded very easily but it’s not a big deal because as you swim out there’s so much space.
Great place to visit in Hilo overall!

Nice area. Seemed like mostly local people enjoying a quiet blackish sand beach. We went during low tide and walked to the left o the beach area and there was a little pool of water. Inside the pool there were four sea turtles hanging out till the tide came back in. Area is pretty secluded and offers some nice areas to kick back and enjoy the ocean.

Bottom line — I snorkeled here with a pair of sea turtles. It deserves five stars on that alone.
I will say, the black sand beach is fairly small so even though it isn’t nearly as crowded here as many of the other beaches on the Big Island it still feels pretty crowded. The surf was also fairly rough when we were here. But the snorkeling was awesome! Coral close to the beach harbored a ton of cool fish and the aforementioned sea turtles were a huge plus. The snorkel spots are also really shallow which I enjoy.

Black sand beach, clean and convenient. Basic services: free parking, restrooms and lifeguard.
Several turtles and fishes.

My favorite place on the Big Island! Black sand beach you don’t have to hike to like Pololu and plenty of turtles and parking.

Loved this beach! We spent most of our time in the beaches around Kona and Kohala because they were sandier. It’s true that this black sand beach is predominantly rocky, but there is so much to offer here I believe it makes up for the lack of big stretches of sand.
From the parking lot, if you go straight, it would appear that there is only a tiny beach and bay. However, walk to your right. There is another stretch of sand and where you will find most of the sunbathers. Where the rocks are is the sheltered tide area where there are a ton of fish and coral. I swam with two sea turtles when I went snorkeling here. I came around 3pm and stayed until the sunset. The view is gorgeous. You have Mauna Kea in the back as a backdrop. The waves are pretty big here too.
If you walk even further to the right, there are isolated tide pools. I found four sea turtles trapped in one of these, awaiting the high tide to take them back to the ocean. Amazing photo opportunity. I didn’t go to the other beaches, but found this one to be absolutely picture perfect.

Our highlight of this small but locally popular black sand beach were its large sea turtles! We saw at least a half dozen turtles relaxing and swimming about (they’re quick!). The water is shallow (less than 5ft) and easy to see through in the late evening sun.
There were also some neat rock formations that the waves would crash through just beyond the quiet cove the turtles had settled into for the evening. These were neat to explore too.
You can see the turtles in flip-​flops, though you’ll be more comfortable and stable in a more secure shoe (e.g., a simple water shoe). Appropriate for all ages.

If this beach was in Southern California, it would be top rated. We snorkeled all day. Easy access, free ample parking, Tons of marine life and warm and clear waters.
Life guards — while not friendly to mainlanders — was on duty and at the ready. Great crowd of all ages. Pack a lunch or be willing to drive back into town for snacks and drinks.
I saw eels, turtles, colorful fish, sea urchins and things I never have seen before.
If you are in Hilo and need to get your snorkel or swim on, this is the place. Several other park/​beaches nearby.

This is an awesome swim beach.
Lots of pluses here. Black sand, shallow swim lagoons, beautiful rock formations, restrooms, snorkeling, showers and free parking.
Great place for a quick stop or spend the day and an awesome place for young children.

Great small beach with black sand and lil green jade sand mixed in. Kind of dirty with tree foliage but it’s Hilo and there’s a lot of jungle. Went at around 4 pm and parking lot was full but plenty of parking on street. Surrounding the beach was freshwater ponds which was cool to see.
Snorkeling is a must here!!! That’s why I came to this beach. We saw a giant sea turtle come up to the rocks and started munching on algae off the rocks. That thing was like 4 – 5 feet in length. Also saw lots of fish like angels, tangs, trigger fish, puffers, wrasses, snowflake eel, and needle/​pipefish. Pretty shallow area and lots of rocks so be careful.
There was a shark scare when we were there as someone said they saw one and a helicopter started flying overhead apparently looking for any sharks. Police came and no one announced anything but ppl started making there way back to shore. About 10 min later, police left and everyone went back in.

This beach is the bomb for all you water dogs. Granted, it’s not your typical white sandy beach of Hawaii calendars, however it is an oasis on the east side for those off the beaten path types; the shore is exciting with a little black sandy beach, and room here and there for beach chairs. Walk a little further back and you’ll find brackish tide pools ~ be careful not to disturb the sleeping Honu or occasional sun bathing Hawaiian monk seal. A natural protective walk of pahoehoe lava also creates great cliffs for jumping off of.
If you are comfortable snorkeling, then be sure to get your fins, mask and snorkel gear and explore the reef that is teaming with tropical fish. Getting past the reef where the waves break is a little tricky and can be a bit intimidating and dangerous ~ so don’t do it if you’re not with an experienced snorkel buddy or seasoned Hawaiian free diver.
Once you’re past the point break then the reef drops steeply and you might start to get the heebie jeebies as you realize your vulnerability ~ awesome! The Honu fly by like underwater angels and you might even feel the sonar from nearby humped back whales as they are checking you out and sizing you up if it’s January or February.
Richardsons is a magical magical place ~ on the shore or in the water you are cradled by the sand or the waves as you relax, reconnect, and revitalize.

Whoa! Turtles and black sand… how could it get any better than that??? I wish we had more time to spend here — I enjoyed looking at the fish ponds, the view from the beach was amazing, and there was a gorgeous basalt outcrop bordering the beach.

This place is amazing. Seriously, heaven on earth. This is a great place to see a black sand beach if you don’t want to drive far.
The sand on the beach isn’t super huge, but it wasn’t too packed up there anyways. This probably wouldn’t be the place to go of you are looking to bake on a busy, sunny beach. They have big gorgeous trees that provide a nice shade. They also have all of these beautiful lagoons that are fun to walk around.
The water was a little cooler, but still great for swimming, snorkeling and wading. My husband went out snorkeling and said he saw some pretty cool fish and some different varieties from the snorkeling he did in Kona.
I got to see some awesome big sea turtles. I think there’s at least 6 or 7 large ones that live there. If you go please try to stop anyone you see messing with the turtles. Give them their space and you can watch then forever.
Technically this is more if a «park» but at the time the parking was free, the waters beautiful and the vibe relaxed.
Would be a great place to go for a picnic and just admire the stunning view!
This is a MUST stop for me next time I’m in Hilo!

This is my favorite beach on the Hilo East siiiide. Not that there are many choices but people still have their own spots. My spot happens to be Richardsons.
When my sister and I were growing up we thought the black sand beach was huge. It’s not at all :-) There’s a little spot of sandy beach with a life guard but you’ll want to be careful of the rocks in the all the other places. The great parts about Richardsons is the parking, the shady coconut trees, the grassy areas, full on bathroom and outdoor shower facilities, a picnic bench area (kinda set back from the beach so we never hang there) and the swimming holes towards the back right area where you can also lay out on the smooth pahoehoe lava. My favorite part of all times about Richardsons is the way the sun shines upon the beach area when it’s setting. You can look out into the bay and see the mountains and other side of the shore. It’s pretty fabulous.