The Department of Parks and Recreation regrets to announce the cancellation of this year’s Richardson Rough Water Swim event due to ongoing construction at Richardson Ocean Park.

The open ocean swim event is held annually in late July or early August at Richardson Ocean Park in Hilo, where the start and finish lines are established and where pre-and post-event activities are hosted. The event involves well over a hundred participants in addition to numerous supporters, spectators, and event staff at the park. The park remains open for the public to use during the event.

Due to active construction that began on June 6, the Richardson Ocean Center and onsite parking lot are closed, and access to the park and its shoreline are limited due to construction work area barricades. Beginning as early as July 5, the active construction area will be expanded, further limiting access to the beach area. The public restrooms will also be closed for renovation.

Portable restrooms will be provided for public use through the project’s completion, which is anticipated in February 2023. Showers will continue to be provided throughout the project. The improvements this project will deliver are required for the County’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and will benefit all park users in numerous ways for years to
come.

We look forward to the return of the Richardson Rough Water Swim event in 2023.

For more information, please contact the Recreation Division office at (808) 961-8740.