On July 16th, we had plans to celebrate Women’s Dive Day with Kuleana Coral at Point Panic.  However, mother nature had other ideas for us. As Hurricane Darby moved closer to the Hawaiian Islands, it brought with it some of the biggest south shore swell seen in the past 25 years. Nudi Wear and Kuleana Coral agreed it was safest to switch the cleanup dive to a shoreline cleanup instead.

When we showed up on Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised by how sunny it was with minimal winds. Since the parking lot was packed, we knew there had to be big waves. Point Panic is the only dedicated body surfing break on Oahu and there were loads of them enjoying the large swell.

We had 16 people show up to help with the cleanup. In a little over an hour, we collected over 50 pounds of trash from the boardwalk, rocks, and surrounding park. There was a lot of bottle caps, cigarette butts, food containers, bottles, fishing line, and plastic wrappers. The most unusual item found was a plastic witch finger!

One of the highlights of the day was a presentation by Kuleana Coral. Educators Christina and Kyleigh explained how Kuleana Coral is working towards protecting and repairing the coral reefs on Oahu. They use existing coral colonies and keep the coral in the ocean, avoiding the risks, expenses, and time of a land-based nursery. To read more about their efforts or to donate, visit www.kuleanacoral.com.

Another highlight of the day was a raffle for two Jack Johnson concert tickets, a neoprene tote bag, towel, t-shirts, and earrings. To celebrate Women’s Dive Day, each female participant received an appreciation gift bag.

Mahalo to Kuleana Coral, Trident Adventures, and all the volunteers who showed up to assist with the cleanup and helped prevent a lot of trash from entering the ocean. Our next cleanup dive is scheduled for August 13th at Point Panic. We hope to see you there!