2) Richardson’s Ocean Park

This beach might not make it to the top of every Hilo list but there is something very special about this particular black sand beach in Hilo that it needed a place in the rankings. Richardson’s Ocean Park is an extraordinary spot for families who want a taste of where the locals bring their kids for a day of sun and sand. Your clients won’t find surfing waves here (or waves at all really) but what they will find are warm, calm ocean waters so clean that a dip will remind them of swimming through the soft waters of a Canadian lake. There are tide pools perfect for young children to splash, play and snorkel and the sand castles they’ll build on the shore will be so unlike any they will have built before because they’ll be made of smooth black sand sparkling with green olivine crystals. Don’t forget to tell your clients to be on the look out for sea turtles!

Richardson’s Ocean Park