By Oahu Volunteer Coordinator and Advisory Board Member Temple Liebmann

On Sunday, August 24th, Ocean Defenders Alliance Hawai‘i volunteers headed out on the Island Divers boat, The Sea Fox, for another memorable cleanup dive. Our captain for the day was Matt Negaard, with Gary Liebmann serving as dive leader. I, Temple Liebmann, crewed topside and captured the action as photographer while our team of divers prepared for a challenging afternoon at Spitting Caves.

Joining the effort underwater were Scott Barrell, Henry Bennett, Chandler Bosch, Elena Cobrica, James Delecki, Jeremy Deviller, Crystal Gray, Gary Liebmann, Dan Okamura, April Patterson, Mark Toohey, Cameron Yablsey, Bailey Young and myself Temple Liebmann.

Crystal took these amazing “crystal clear” underwater photos!

Conditions at Spitting Caves were tough, with low visibility, heavy surge, and a strong current that made every task harder.

Despite the challenges, our team worked together with determination and brought up an astonishing amount of debris.

By the end of the dive, we had removed roughly 2,000 feet of discarded fishing line and an incredible 210 pounds of lead fishing weights—dangerous debris that no longer threatens marine life or the fragile reef.

After the dive, everyone gathered at Kona Brewing Company to relax, share pupus and drinks, and swap stories from the day’s adventure. The camaraderie was a perfect ending to a difficult but rewarding cleanup. Each volunteer’s effort contributed to making Hawai‘i’s waters safer and cleaner, and the results spoke for themselves: another big win for the ocean.

Please help keep our ships and crews at sea, doing what they do best: removing ghost gear and all kinds of ocean trash!