Discover a world of marine science and one of the best snorkeling spots in the Hilo region at these two family-friendly beach parks, accessed from the shoreline. The only black-sand beach in the Hilo region provides relaxed swimming, sheltered rock pools for beautiful snorkeling and excellent surfing. Lava from Mauna Kea has formed a natural seawall at Richardson Ocean Park, making it a sheltered beach that is perfect snorkeling with giant sea turtles, monk seals and abundant sea life. Rock pools that fill at high tide make for shallow, detached swimming holes at low tide. Snorkel in the pools, without the stress of swell or currents.
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
In demand: 17 of the next 43 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 22.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 525 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Beach Snorkel - Sea Turtle and Black Sand Lagoon lasts about 3 hours.
Prices start at $136 per person for this Big Island of Hawaii experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM.
It can: 17 of the next 43 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Please check in 10 minutes before your tour departure time at the Hilo Ocean Adventures storefront (located at 1717 Kamehameha Ave. Hilo, HI 96720). Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 6 participants.
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Travellers rate it 4.5 out of 5 across 66 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Hilo Ocean Adventures.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
My boyfriend and I enjoyed our snorkeling trip, but it definitely did not feel like it was worth the price. We snorkeled in two locations for about three hours total, but there was very little guidance of where we should go or what to avoid. Even as we were driving to/from the snorkeling spots, the guide did not share any information about the area. It essentially felt like an uber service with a snorkel rental attached.
We had great snorkeling adventure. We saw lots of sea life. Our guide was wonderful and very helpful.
Customer service was not willing to schedule to another site when they clearly had other activities in the area I was staying.
Our guide was great! We went to two different snorkel spots, and when we asked if we could try to find turtles, he went in search of a place where we could find them. The second place we stopped, Carlsmith Beach, had a turtle beached for us to view. Richardson beach was also amazing, and our guide was knowledgeable and very kind. We were supposed to stay out from 9:30-12:30 but didn’t get back until almost 1:30 pm. It was well worth the money, and a great day!
The tour is over-expensive for what is offered. It is not very well described as a shoreline snorkeling. There is no boat bringing you to the spots.
If we ever go back to Hilo we would do this again! Small group made it special too! Morgan did a wonderful job explaining how to snorkel because it had been several years since I had snorkeled. I loved it!
Isaiah was an awesome guide. He was knowledgeable, kind, and even helped with pictures. We had a great time snorkeling and learning about the different marine line in Hawaii. Would definitely book again.
This was a wonderful experience and Isaac did a great job making sure we were safe and ensured we had a special time.
Really excellent experience at both sites and Isaac was really patient and made it fun for all of us. The black sand beach was special Thanks!
So many fish and the turtles were really chill. Our snorkel guide was very helpful, had plenty of snacks and beverages on hand.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Snorkel - Sea Turtle and Black Sand Lagoon | 3 hours | 4.5 (66) | $136 | |
 Private Road to Hana Tour Black Sand Beach/Waterfalls/Sea Turtles | 8 hours | 5.0 (236) | $299 | View |
 Hilo Shore Excursion Volcanoes National Park and Black Sand Beach | 6 hours | 4.8 (3,128) | $169 | View |
 Halfway to Hana Tour of Maui Black Sand Beach Waterfalls Turtles | 6h 30min | 4.5 (175) | $199 | View |
 Hilo Shore Excursion: Punaluu Black Sand Beach, Volcano, & Hilo | 7–8 hours | 4.9 (40) | $188 | View |
 Road to Hana in Mercedes Van: Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach | 9–10 hours | 4.7 (198) | $250 | View |
 Road to Hana Rainforest, Black Sand Beach, Waterfalls & Lunch | 9–10 hours | 4.9 (88) | $246 | View |