Richardson Ocean Park Snorkeling

East of Hilo on the northeast side of the Big Island, the snorkeling at the Richardson Ocean Park offers protected waters in a small cove. The beach is known for it black sand. During Richardson Beach snorkeling, you may encounter sergeant majors, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, filefish, moorish idols, wrasse and green sea turtles.

To reach the Richardson Ocean Park snorkeling from Hilo, head east on Kalanianaole Avenue for 5 miles. To reach the snorkeling on the Big Island by air, you will need to fly into either Kona International Airport (KOA) on the south side of the Big Island and Hilo International Airport (ITO) on the northeast side of the Big Island. From either airport, the best bet is to rent a car since the dive sites are pretty far off the main roads. When planning a trip to the Hawaiian islands, be aware that the State Of Hawaii has banned all sunscreens that oxybenzone, which has been proven to kill coral reefs. The best Big Islands snorkeling dive sites are spread around the island. The conditions at each dive site vary throughout the year depending upon winds and currents. Since many of the Big Island snorkeling destinations are open water and unprotected, make sure to check the current surf reports before heading to any of these dive sites. Luckily, there are excellent up-to-date surf reports that can provide guidance on these adverse conditions. With the usually rolling surf, it is strongly discouraged to use open-tube snorkels which are common at snorkel rental locations -- only use snorkels with a dry-top splash-guard and a sump purge-valve in the mouth piece.

Overall, Richardson Ocean Park is the 8th most popular snorkel dive spot of all 10 snorkeling dives in Big Island.