Not too many people come here during the week so, you can ACTUALLY social distance. Good place to fish, swim, see turtles. Also, you can sit on little pavilion/picnic style tables AND theres a bathroom and showers

Surfing, swimming, fishing,snorkel and so much more.... you can do here at this park. Pack up everything you need and enjoy for the day. Nice and relaxed park for the hole family.

We went late afternoon around 5pm. There wasnt much people there. So was easy to stay 6 ft away from others. Caught the heat of the sun for a good hour which was enough time to relax in the water and have a nice cool swim. Thats what i like about Summer time...

To all the LovElY tourists who come to this beach. You come to see how nice it is please leave it that way. Also- Dont go near the sea turtles, theyre just trying to do their own thing.

Although mostly locals, Richardson Ocean Park has a great custom car group and custom cycle riders that usually hang out there. Also a relaxing place to meet people and make new friends.

Loved snorkeling here. It was the first place where we got to see a huge variety of fish and coral. Great little cive with lifeguards on duty. Lots of families. My favorite place in Hilo. For more pics and places check out @donutadventurers

Great space to spend the afternoon snorkeling and relaxing on the black sands! Bonus that theres a lifeguard on duty most days.

Clean warm water with a black sand beach. Went for a swim just before dark. Photos taken as I left Richardson Park

Had the best time of my life and I will be back to my own personal life with someone else that is very important to me and I love this one that I was there with the best person who I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE A CHANGE FOR THE BOTH OF OUR SAKES AND THE REST OF OUR LIVES TOGETHER WITH YOU AND I WILL BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY GET TO BE THE ONE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH ME.

So beautiful here! And great place to swim with some cooler water cause under water spring fed pools. And a nice little Bay for long distance swimming! Great place to people watch! But dont go there on the weekends or holidays! Cause its really crowded! Unless you want more people to watch!

True Hawaiian paradise. Anchialine ponds are beautiful and the water here is just looks so delicious!!!

Just snorkeling here for one minute and I saw more species of fish than I could count... with colorful designs beyond description. Excellent spot. Waves break during rained weather... lots if turtles hang out here. Beautiful!

This park is landscaped beautifully. The day I was there the waves were strong making it difficult to snorkel.

Everyones experience is different.Lots of fun. Swimming and snorkeling, but watch the rocks getting in and out! There is a life guard, hours unknown. There is an area almost surrounded by reef that is both a breaker and good snorkeling too. So within this area you can actually swim laps. There is some sandy area to layout the blanket, some shaded. There is an assortment of fish to view and occasionally turtles. DONT MESS WITH THE TURTLES! So there is several picnic tables and a couple of BBQS. Bathrooms and outside showers and feet wash. A water fountain and a pay phone. There is a couple of ponds, fresh water.This beach park is the third and last one on Kalanianaole St. before dead end gate. Clearly visible from the street. Limited handicap friendly gated parking.Visitor friendly.Aloha

This is my favorite swimming hole! It boasts great snorkeling, swimming, and lounging. There are lifeguards, showers, restrooms, and a drinking fountain. A must-see spot when visiting Hilo!

This place is an all around great park. Swimming, surfing, snorkeling, tanning, playing in the sand, public restrooms, the whole works. Ive seen huge turtles swim next to me while snorkeling over the coral with so many fish all around. A very popular spot to go to in Hilo, highly recommend.

Beautiful park, lots of sea turtles, great exploring and relaxing to the sound of the ocean.. Not tons of Beach area with sand.. Lots of rocks around the edges.. You have to be careful.. But there are some swimming areas with pools of ocean water that you can relax in and play in. Be aware you cant swim and touch the turtles.. But you can get pretty darn close to look at them..

Decent parking, lifeguard on duty, historical building, bathroom & change house (albeit in need of upkeep) & outdoor showers. Great opportunity for snorkeling (bring your own geer incl water socks). We didnt have snorkel gear but the 17large turtles that were there (on their own accord-not penned) made it worth the stop.

This is a really great place for swimming, and there are even a few tide pools. Free parking, restrooms, and outside showers for rinsing off the black sand. There are no food or beverage options so bring along your picnic. There were a lot of people snorkeling here, but I did not try it myself.Have fun!

Nice beach but water is super cold from all the streams that feed out to it. Small black sand areas.

A nice beach to take the kids swimming while staying on the east side of the island.There are quite a few large rocks that can easily cut your toe, but once in the water you can swim over them. The rocks can be bothersome, however they also attract sealife. My girls love to watch the fish.Parking is usually pretty easy to get during normal days unless a person gets there to late. Walking to the water is not too far as the ocean is on yards from the road.

Nice, fairly secluded park, great for viewing away turtles. We saw 6 or 8 within a few minutes of getting there! Stunning waves breaking over the rocks, and beautiful green and black sand beach.

Black sandy beaches with loads of locals relaxing in idyllic setting of sun, surf and beaches. Parking can be a major problem so..take a Uber. Public restrooms and snack bar available. No alcohol. Enjoy your Zen moment here.

What an excellent place to explore the tide pools or snorkeling. Lots of marine animals to see and several turtles! There was a lifeguard on duty which was nice. The property was clean and well cared for. Easy parking, free to use the park. I didnt see many benches, but there was plenty of room to bring your own chairs and shade.

A great black sand beach. Plenty of parking. Change rooms and showers. No other facilities so take food and plenty of water. No real currents within the breakwater, although in my opinion, make sure you have flippers if you are going out further, unless you are a strong swimmer. If you are lucky you may see a turtle. We didnt today, bit we are going back anyway.

The beach was beautiful. The black sand is gorgeous and the lava formations are extremely cool. I recommend making this a stop on your hawaiian vacation.

Always a relaxing time here, beautiful sunsets, one may even be lucky enough to see a cruise ship leaving port. Friendly people. Fresh coconut, pineapple and many other things.Walk and explore this lovely place. You may even see turtles if you look, but do not touch, just admire their beauty, as the lovely and sacred marine life they are.Enjoy

Very pretty black sand beach. Very rocky, with strong currents. We were able to see some sea turtles!

Love this beach. Its nice to go snorkeling at and has lots of different fish you can see!!! Makes being in the water for a long time enjoyable!!!

Beautiful beach park. The beach had black sand which had peridot stones in it. The gardens were well manicured. Nice stop before a long day in Volcanoes Park.

Love this park so much. Sea turtles, beautiful ocean and actual sand in some parts

One of my favorite areas to bbq and swim. Fun for adults and kids. Lots of basking turtles and other wildlife. Excellent place to snorkel when the suns out and the tides low. Near the bathrooms and showers youll usually see a lifeguard on duty here. If youre lucky, you can gey cold coconuts from the farmer across the street.

Great snorkeling! Clear water and a pretty park. We went in the evening and it was perfect! There are showers to rinse off afterward as well, and a nice beachy area as well as grass and lagoons. Plus we saw some turtles that came right up to us! They blend in to the rocks so watch out!

Great Family Beach. Remember ITS NOT OK TO MESS WITH THE TURTLES!!! The back pond is their resting place so PLEASE LET THEM REST!!

What a beautiful place for families to spend their time! You might see some sea turtles! There was snow on the mountain across Hilo Bay and you can see the observatory from here. We were so excited to see it after seeing it on TV so often. Interesting how green space and lava black sand beach come together with crashing waves on beautiful blue Hawaiian waters. A MUST VISIT spot for photographers on the big island!

Beautiful beach park. Very unique beach with black sand here. Close to Hilo. Just a short drive south. We took a tour here off the Norweigian cruise ship with a great local guide company. The Richardson family and how the park came to be was a nice story to go along with a beautiful site. We didnt snorkel here but it has a nice protected area for swimming so snorkeling shouldnt be a problem.

Such a cool place esp for your little ones!! All protected from the waves, sand bottom and shallow!! Even has an ice cream trailer in the parking lot!!

I got to see a turtle!!! Came to this park to catch a glimpse of one and was so glad! I walked to the far right side of the park where we had to walk on a couple of rocks to get to a tidal pool! It was beautiful!! ️️️ the waves on this side got so big in the evening that they created a cute waterfall on our side! I only got the video of the turtle!

Relatively a young island, Hilo coast in the Big island have many so called black beach consisting mainly of black lava rocks and what not They said its good for snorkeling and other water activities. Not too many people out here beside our tour buses load of people. Actually its quite nice and tranquil here and worth checking out. See attached photos.

Awesome view of the ocean. Known for it black lava rock/sand beach.We were here on a Sunday afternoon. The beach ead packed and filled mostly with the locals.Sand is black. Lots of lava rock. It is against the law to take and remove anything from the beach.People were going into the water. Kids were having fun.Many houses werevon stilts as the area has had tsunami in the past.

Our favorite park while visiting Hilo. Lots of fish for snorkeling. Deep water that had fun, gentle rolling waves. I sat on a floaty in the water while my husband snorkeled around. Warm water, black sands, and beautiful scenery. Not crowded at all during the week, so I recommend going then. This was recommended to us by some locals we befriended and Im so glad they did. We kept leaving other beaches to return to this one.

Very nice black Sandy Beach. Added bonus was the fact we could see green sea turtles resting on the rocks near the shoreline.

Great place but be careful if you are not an experienced swimmer!

I enjoyed taking a refreshing swim!

Amazing location! We went when the waves were huge so there were a lot of surfers, but it was so fun to watch. We were also gifted with seeing two sea turtles near the shore. Not a place to go if you dont like being around people.

Fantastic, Beautiful,Eyes to behold the natural beauty of Sea and sky competing with each other.Took plenty of videos as just photographs are not sufficient to enjoy the place.We enjoyed the beauty of nature and it was an unforgettable experience.In Hawaii nature competes with each other to prove one is better than the other.We love Romantic places like this to cherish our time spent for ever.Going back the memory lane with videos of such beautiful places is a pleasurable exercise.

Hilo was gorgeous! Black sand beach and water was breathtaking

Beautiful park with lots of photo ops. You can see turtles and black sand beaches. Beautiful view of Hilo bay and the observatory. Lush green park has some parking space and restrooms

Great spot with some black sand. Public bathrooms with flushing toilets and some wheelchair accessibility to some spots. Limited parking though.

Gorgeous !! The surf was to violent to snorkel. But, still beautiful !

This is a little gem of a park... Although the water is FREEZING... loads of fun in the water which is very clean..

Quite, peaceful and very beautiful.

If you lucky, you will have a chance to see this beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. Take a picture but keep the distance let them be there in peace.

Words cant begin to describe how beautiful it was here!! Loved the black sand as well!

Beautiful beach with gentle water and lots of sea life for snorkeling. Be sure to bring goggles or a mask or else you will feel left out when others talk about the amazing things they are seeing! The black sand is also novel for tourists.Most importantly, the beach is incredibly rocky with highly variable depth. I would say reef shoes or flippers should be required; we had to go home early when I sliced open my foot on a rock close to shore. Besides safety it was a nice park, be careful!

Not crowded in the morning during the week. Weekends are packed, though.

Beautiful and quiet place. A fantastic location for snorkeling to see hundreds of lovely fishes in different colors and sizes. Clean area. You can also capture awesome pictures there. The best part is that you can see turtles...

We visited here as part of a shore excursion. Beautiful beach. I enjoyed clambering around the rocks and I was able to see 3 green sea turtles. Be careful on the volcanic rocks as someone in our group fell and the sharp rocks skinned up her arm.

Great beach with protected areas for kids and tons of fish and turtles. A little climbing around on the rocks and we saw 6 turtles and 100s of fish probably 10 different species. There are tour bus drop offs so it got busy but overall it was perfect

Love the womens there

Great black sand beach with a high chance of seeing turtles

I love the options of fresh cool water and also ocean access. Great place for hanging with friends or family.

Great Snorkeling close to shore

We saw 15 sea turtles here at this park. The best part is that they are swimming around in a little bay that you can easily view them in. There are a couple of small sandy beaches that you can swim from and some good waves to play in. The parking lot is small but road parking is available. The sea turtles are really the highlight of this park.

To swim, can enter by the stairs, off the wall, close to bathroom area. A little shallow, but less rocky shore-break risk nearer the lifeguard stand at the small black sand entry. Your choice. Can sometimes see sunning turtles if you follow the rockwall near bathroom, or can walk around parking lot and down path...See surfers, snorkel small, shallow coral garden area to the right of the lifeguard stand, out a bit, enclosed by rocks. Seasonal whales can be seen on ridge above where cool college kids sun on black sand to the right of lifeguard stand.

Absolutely love this place my kids and wife have so much fun

Beautiful.

Saw two see turtles swimming in a pool of water. Love the black sand and lava rocks. Great waves!

Wonderful place to walk.

Great beach front, snorkeling and showers

Such a beautiful serene environment the beach is so amazing love it

Beautiful beach in Hilo. There are lifeguards, showers, restrooms, picnic tables, and great views with a lookout spot on the edge. Great place to snorkel. While I was out there with my daughter, we saw at least ten different types of fish, three types of coral, crabs (on the beach), and a sea turtle. Lots of shade. A bit rocky, but sheltered by the reef. Safe for children. You will definitely have fun here, so bring the whole family! Aloha!

Gorgeous spot. Easy parking and a nice little walk to the beach. Seen turtles and places to sit on the beach as well as easy walking into the ocean.

We saw turtles. Funny with the black sand. Løvely swimming for adults and children.

Fortunate to see 2 sea turtles and some colorful fish.

Beautiful snorkel spot with lots of coral, fish, and shells. Not a lot of shade, bring your umbrella.

Went to snorkel...water was a lot colder than expected. Would recommend something to combat the cold. Otherwise great park! Saw turtles in the tide pools

Lots of fish but the water is clear enough to see maybe 20 feet or so. Not crowded so that was nice. For the water definitely use water shoes, theres lots of rocks and sea urchin!

The beach is beautiful however I hate sand, however this sand is black. The sea turtles are in abundance, the water is ice cold to swim, snorkel or just relax. Enjoy

Nice beach. Lifeguards at this one. Walk out far on the rocks and turn right, thats where the big turtles are.

The part we were at was ok, not the best maintained but alright. Lots of lava rocks. We were able to see a sea turtle taking a break on the rocks.

Free and easy parking either on the street or in the small parking lots. We spent an hour watching a few sea turtles up close.

Richardson Park was terrific! Plenty of beach to lay on, water to swim in, and even sea turtles! I was happy to see that everyone was very respectful of the turtles.

Great views and ocean breezes.

Nice quiet black sand beach.

Awesome free to swim.. So many sea turtles great time

Great little spot in Hilo with black and green (mixed) sand. Beautiful views add some easy access points were the water isnt too rough.

This park is gorgeous, and if youre lucky, you have a fantastic view of the bay and Mauna Kea. Dont touch the coral with your feet, dont harass the sea turtles, dont litter, and bring a friend in case you step on a sea urchin so you dont have to get a stranger to pee on you!! Cannot recommend this beach enough

Best snorkeling place. Locals love it here! Black sand beach

Great spot for snorkeling. Good facilities with fresh water showers. There is lots of grassy areas so you dont have to get a lot of sand all over your stuff.

Great little beach for kids, tide pools and lagoons to explore. Beautiful.

We just went to see black sand. That was mildly interesting. It really is black. We did not snorkel which is one its main attractions. There are restrooms and attractive small ponds on the grounds.

Nice, black sand beach. Be careful entering the water - you need to pass lots of rocks before it gets nice for swimming

Families grilling, surfers surfing, black sand beaches, cool breeze.

I had moderate expectations, bit was blown away. The diversity of reef fish is amazingly. We went on a day with some swells, so we got pushed around pretty good. Go on a calmish day and really enjoy the experience.

A place I always liked to hang out when I lived on island.

There are partially and fully submerged rock formations that create a protected (from strong waves) area to swim, snorkel, or otherwise enjoy the water. Wonderful wildlife swimming around. Look forward to many more visits there.

The closed Black Sand Beach to the Cruise boat. Awesome views!!

Very pretty. Has restrooms. Outside shower off ocean salt and sand. Not a lot of beach before turns to rock.

Great place to spot Hawaiian green turtles, snorkeling and surfing. Walk through the black rocks to find small ponds filled with Hawaiian green turtles. Public restrooms and showers in place.