By ODA Hawai’i Island Chapter Leader Sarah Milisen
It all started with a rainy, blustery, cold day (Tuesday, April 29th)... wait! It's Hawai'i! Just kidding!
The seas were flat, not an ounce of wind, and the currents were (surprisingly) behaving for us to get to some much-needed cleaning sites: Pipe Dreams and the south side of Keahole Point.
We were fortunate to be joined by 18 Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA) volunteers boarded our dive-boat partner Kona Honu's vessel, Honu One, for a day of cleaning and diving, and we delivered! 18 Ocean Defenders Alliance volunteers boarded Kona Honu's donated boat, Honu One, for a day of cleaning and diving, and we delivered! Juan Carlos Soto Vasquez, Erin Clement, John Coladonato (captain), Mark England, Dee Fulton, Milo Giorgio, Donna Goodale, Sarah Milisen, Amy Montanaro, Dot Norris, Bo Pardau (Our Amazing Photographer), Jamie Pardau, Ann Phillips, Ashley Plumb, Buzz Samuelson, Tony Sepanski, Brian Sward, Laurel Whillock, and me.
Keahole South had lots of bundled up abandoned fishing line, choked coral heads, and lots of lead. I even, unfortunately, witnessed a demolished antler coral head still entangled in fishing line and broken into pieces (but still alive) on the reef bottom – so I got to work untangling, then wedging little fragments upright into crevices to give the coral the best chance of surviving.
Divers were busy untangling, cutting, bagging and looting the reef for lead and line. After our hour underwater, we all came back for our surface interval, and our amazing volunteer Tony Sepanski was miraculously already out of his scuba gear and cutting and sorting lead into a smaller bin for recycling! Whoa! Go Tony!
Delicious snacks brought by volunteers were enjoyed and great conversation was had while we waited for a moorings spot to free-up at Pipe Dreams. Once available, we were already ready to splash! BACK TO WORK! ;)
Lots and lots of line, lead, and lures, hooks, etc were collected this round again, everyone having felt productive and coming back with stuff in their bags. And, LOW AND BEHOLD, once I was last back on the boat, THERE WAS TONY AGAIN! Cutting line from lead and sorting it back into a smaller vessel – this guy never stops working!
Back at the dock, everyone helped haul tanks, sort the rest of the debris, and posed for a "catch of the day" photo! We collected at least 70 pounds of lead, 2500 feet of fishing line, a dozen hooks and lures, 8 spark plugs, and some large chunks of construction plastic, as well as a fishing pole, complete with the reel of line!
If you like what we do, and cannot join us, please consider a donation! If you're interested in volunteering here (or Oahu, or California), please email us at volunteer@oceandefenders.org!
