By Oahu Volunteer Coordinator and Advisory Board Member Temple Liebmann

This particular Sunday turned into one of those days that perfectly captured what Ocean Defenders Alliance Hawaiʻi (ODA) is all about — hard work, teamwork, education, and making a real impact for our oceans (April 26, 2026).

The weather that morning could not have been better. Light winds, calm seas, and clear skies gave us beautiful conditions out on Maunalua Bay as our crew loaded up and headed offshore. The water had that deep blue Hawaiʻi glow, and everyone onboard knew it was shaping up to be a great dive day.

Leading the operation was Gary Liebmann, with an incredible volunteer turnout including: Eduardo Abreau, Henry Bennett, Chandler Bosch, Casey Eckhart, Liam Eubank, Robert Gates, James Gavrilov, Andrew Leighton, Robert Li, Kimmie Long, David Marcelli, Bill Metzler, Jennifer and Kae Nagaoka, Ed Sisino, Cameron Yadsley, and Rose Zhang!

But this dive had an especially meaningful guest onboard.

Joining us for the day was 11-year-old Kae Nagaoka, who had selected ODA for a school project. Kae and his mother Jennifer came out with us on the boat so he could learn firsthand what it takes to protect Hawaiʻi’s oceans. Throughout the dive he got to experience what it means to operate aboard a U.S. Coast Guard certified vessel, how marine debris cleanups are organized, and just how much effort goes into safely conducting these dives.

Kae asked questions, took tons of photos, and watched the entire operation unfold from start to finish. By the end of the day, he had seen firsthand that ocean conservation is not just about pretty pictures underwater — it’s focused effort, working together, planning, and dedication.

And the divers absolutely delivered.

In just a 30-minute dive, the team recovered an incredible amount of debris from the reef.

By the end of the cleanup, we had removed approximately 120 pounds of lead, nearly 2,000 feet of fishing line, along with an old plastic laundry basket, assorted other plastics and tin cans scattered throughout the area.

Some of the fishing line was heavily tangled into the reef structure, requiring careful work from the divers to remove it safely without causing additional damage.

One of the most memorable moments came at the end of the day when Kae left with an entire laundry basket filled with recovered fishing line to help with his project — a powerful visual showing just how much harmful debris can accumulate beneath the surface.

Kae (top row) with ODA Volunteer Crew with their Catch of the Day

For most people, the ocean looks pristine from above. But dives like this remind us that there’s another story hidden underwater, one that requires volunteers willing to show up and do the hard work to restore the ocean to its original state (without man-made debris)!

Mahalo to every diver and volunteer who made this cleanup possible, and a special mahalo to Kae and Jennifer for spending the day with us and helping inspire the next generation of ocean defenders.

Days like this give us hope for the future.