On the east side of Hilo, just north of the airport, are a series of volcanic beaches. They're more volcanic rock than sand but they have some nice areas for entering the water.

The best one was Carlsmith Beach Park. It has a nice protected lagoon area for easy swimming. And we saw a Honu there as well! The ones there have a reputation for being quite friendly to people and the one we saw was no exception.

The other beaches were mostly not as protected though Leleiwi Park did have a slightly inland area of calm water. The easternmost beach was Richardson Ocean Park! Not too many swimmers but a few people doing SUP and a bunch of people surfing!