Reeds Bay Park
Hilo, HI
Reeds Bay Park sits at the edge of Hilo Bay where cold freshwater springs bubble up through the sand and mix with the ocean, creating pockets of water noticeably cooler than the surrounding bay. It's a low key local swim spot more than a scenic postcard beach, popular with people who grew up jumping off the small rock ledges into the spring fed pools.
A genuinely local, low key swim spot that most visitors skip entirely, though the murkier bay water and lack of real sand keep it from being anyone's first choice.
How we score beachesLook for the coldest spots near the shoreline rocks rather than out in open water. That's where the freshwater actually surfaces, and it's a genuinely different feeling than the rest of the bay.
A free lot serves the park off Banyan Drive and rarely fills outside of weekends.
A flat, grassy path connects the lot to the water's edge, an easy walk, though entry is over rock rather than sand.
Hilo's rain falls in every season, though the spring fed water here stays swimmable and notably cool regardless of the weather.
More Hawaii beaches
Waikiki Beach
Honolulu, HI · Hawaii
4 access points
The beach that put Hawaii surfing on the map, with gentle, forgiving waves for beginners, Diamond Head crater as a backdrop, and a reef that keeps the water calm most of the year.
Lanikai Beach
Kailua, HI · Hawaii
A quiet, residential-neighborhood beach on Oahu's windward side, with powder-soft sand, turquoise water, and two small offshore islets (the Mokulua) as a paddling destination.
Poipu Beach
Koloa, HI · Hawaii
A sheltered, sunny south-shore beach on Kauai split into a calm swimming lagoon and a livelier surf side, with a good chance of spotting Hawaiian monk seals resting on the sand.