By Oahu Volunteer Coordinator and Advisory Board Member Temple Liebmann
The Ocean Defenders Alliance Oahu Chapter returned to Hanauma Bay early on the morning of June 27 for another marine debris cleanup dive in this protected and much- loved bay.
The team gathered before 7am to beat the crowds, and the effort was rewarded with a gorgeous morning: clear skies, light winds, and calm, glassy water inside the bay.
As the group made its way down to the shoreline, a Hawaiian monk seal was found resting peacefully on the sand near the entry point.
Wildlife officials had already roped off the area and posted signage asking beachgoers to give the resting seal plenty of space, and the team was careful to work well clear of it while gearing up nearby.
With Gary Liebmann leading the dive, the team suited up on the grass beneath the crater's steep walls before wading into the bay to begin the morning's search.
The team cheerfully heads out to do what they do best (and love to do)!
Conditions underwater were as inviting as they looked from shore, making for an easy, thorough sweep of the reef and sandy bottom.
It wasn't a huge-volume day, but the divers still came back with a handful of finds worth noting: a weathered piece of wood still rigged with several lead fishing weights and lures, tangled in blue monofilament line, along with a scattering of plastic debris, including torn packaging and shredded plastic bags. Old fishing gear like this is exactly the kind of debris that keeps doing damage the longer it sits in the water, snagging on reef and posing an entanglement risk to fish, turtles, and other marine life, so getting it out matters even on a lighter day.
Mahalo to Gary Liebmann for leading the dive and to Rose Zhang, Morgan Abreau, and Eduardo Abreau for their dedicated work underwater. I provided topside support and documented the day's efforts. [Thank you, Temple!]
The team wrapped up the morning with a group photo behind the ODA Hawaiʻi banner, a fitting close to another dive in service of the bay's motto: working for a debris-free sea.
Light haul or not, everyone had a great time, and the crew capped off the morning with a trip to Koa Pancake House for a well-earned, yummy breakfast.
Mahalo to all of our volunteers for your continued dedication to protecting Hawaiʻi's marine environment!
If you're in any of these areas -- Southern California, Hawaii Island or Oahu -- and want to help out with a cleanup, either onshore or at-sea, please email us!
