This past Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, we hosted a momentous cleanup dive at Point Panic Beach Park, located just outside bustling Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii. For those of you who are not familiar with Point Panic, it is recognized as a renowned dive site on Oahu for both recreational and training dives. The site’s rich biodiversity offers thrilling encounters with marine life such as green sea turtles, white tip reef sharks, octopus, nudibranchs, and a colorful variety of fish. Additionally, the site provides calm waters and often has lower visibility, making it a perfect location for training dives that teach important skills such as navigation and search and recovery. With its blend of abundant wildlife and ideal training conditions, Point Panic truly offers something for every diver, making it a favorite dive site on Oahu.

Nudi Wear volunteer divers entering the water at Point Panic for a cleanup dive
Nudi Wear volunteer freedivers cleanup the reef at the popular oahu dive site Point Panic

With the sun beaming overhead and ocean conditions at their finest, the event witnessed an impressive turnout of over 30 enthusiastic volunteers. Despite the inherent challenges of visibility at this dive site, the conditions were notably better than usual, making the cleanup operation even more effective!

Nudi Wear volunteers entering the water at Point Panic, a popular dive site on Oahu
Nudi Wear owners, Christy and Ryan, entering the water at Point Panic, a popular dive site on Oahu
Marine debris found at the popular dive site on Oahu, Point Panic
A tire in the ocean before it was removed by Nudi Wear from Point Panic, a popular dive site on Oahu

Having dedicated over four years to the conservation of Point Panic, this cleanup marked a significant milestone for Nudi Wear and our volunteers. In a single dive, our team successfully extracted a staggering 402 pounds of marine debris from the ocean’s depths. This remarkable feat stands as the highest amount ever removed in one cleanup session from this dive site!

Nudi Wear volunteers with 402 pounds of trash removed from the ocean at Point Panic, a popular dive site on Oahu

Among the myriad of items recovered from the ocean’s floor were three large tires, two fishing rod and reels, an antiquated TV with an attached VHS player, two food trays, a bucket, two sizable pieces of carpet, three hats, a pillow, and an abundance of the all-too-common glass bottles, aluminum cans, single-use plastics, and derelict fishing gear. In addition to the underwater efforts, several volunteers took on the task of cleaning up the adjacent park, successfully removing an additional 5 pounds of trash.

A Nudi Wear volunteer diver carrying a TV she removed from the ocean.
Trash after is has been removed from the ocean at a popular dive site on Oahu
Trash after it has been removed from the ocean at a Nudi Wear Cleanup
3 large car tires that were removed by Nudi Wear volunteers at Point Panic, a popular dive site on Oahu
A plastic bottle of horseradish that was removed from the ocean during a Nudi Wear cleanup dive at a popular dive site on Oahu
A large pile of trash including a bucket and single use plastics that was removed from the ocean during a Nudi Wear cleanup dive at Point Panic
A old TV that was removed from the ocean during a Nudi Wear cleanup dive at Point Panic
Volunteers at the Nudi Wear cleanup at Point Panic sorting through 402 pounds of trash that was removed from the ocean at the popular dive site on Oahu

Despite having removed over 10,000 pounds of debris from Point Panic over the years, our commitment to preserving one of our favorite dive sites on Oahu remains unwavering, with much work still ahead. Nudi Wear extends heartfelt gratitude to all volunteers for their unwavering dedication to protecting our oceans and marine life. As we look forward to the next conservation effort, mark your calendars for April 21st! We hope you will join us at Magic Island, another favorite Oahu dive site, to celebrate Earth Day and help to safeguard the beauty of our oceans for generations to come! View our Upcoming Events page to see what’s next!