The swimming beach at Onekahakaha Beach Park attracts local families with young children who play in the sandy bottomed pool, which is protected from open ocean by a breakwater made of boulders. Beyond the breakwater, strong currents are dangerous, but the long and wide pool is one of the safest places to swim in Hilo. The shallows nearest the shore and the wet sand provide fun for toddlers. The breakwater allows for water exchange, but because of the sandy bottom, the water gets murky, and there's no reef for snorkeling. The other pond at Onekahakaha is a big tide pool, but don't go in -- there's no breakwater, and the rocky bottom is laden with spiny sea urchins. From the pond's beach, you have a sweeping view of the big blue beyond. Family-friendly features include lifeguards, picnic pavilions, restrooms and a lawn.
Swimming beaches with sandy channels, coral reef protected by lava rocks, a surf break, brackish ponds, tidal pools, fantastic views and ample facilities make Richardson Beach Park the most diverse and best beach in Hilo. Fish ponds graced with foot bridges, gardens and coconut palms create a tranquil scene at the front of the park. Restrooms, outdoor showers and the information center follow. Barbecues and covered picnic tables rest behind the building, fronting a large lawn and the first of three black-sand beaches. Continue on the oceanside path for about 100 feet and you're on the black sands viewing a turquoise reef, waves crashing beyond on jet black rocks, and in the distance, the volcanic peak of Mauna Kea, which is snow-capped in winter.
The second beach attracts many families and snorkelers, especially on weekends, but there's always room for more on the sand, picnic tables and viewing platform that used to house the lifeguard stand before the sea wall was removed. Plumeria blossoms, when in bloom, mingle with ocean trade winds. Children frolic in the shallows near the rocks where gentle sea turtles, many 3 feet long, munch on marine plants. A lifeguard sits between this beach and the third one; the two are separated by rocky shoreline. Bodyboarders catch waves south of the snorkeling reef, and surfers ride waves at adjacent Leleiwi Park. Trees shade the path that leads to the third beach, often populated by friendly University of Hawaii students.
The coral reef, reached from either beach, is about 100 feet from shore in front of the big rocks, and offers views of several fish. Some swim in schools, such as the tang, and others with mates or traveling solo, like the butterflyfish and parrotfish. You may also see moray eel peering from a rocky or coral lair. When calm, the water is crystal clear. It's cooler than on the Kona side, averaging 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Enjoy the warm spring bubbling up from the sand bar on the left edge of the beginning of the coral reef.
Beyond the third beach, a towering cliff of lava rock protects the area from the open sea. On the reef side, some jump from rocks into deep water. Behind the third beach, rock-hop or wade through a brackish pond to lava rock tables where parents sunbathe and watch their children playing in the pond at high tide. Older kids jump into a deeper one. At low tide, the tidal pool to the east reveals sea cucumbers and fish. Turquoise white-capped waves contrast with the jet black rocks they crash upon in the distance, and at high tide spray the edges of the lava tables.
