In general, the Hawaiian Islands are known as the “paradise islands.” We agree they’re incredibly beautiful. These islands deserve our stewardship and care especially because their beaches and waters are marred by abandoned fishing gear—both commercial and recreational—as well as plastic and “gyre-type” pollution.
In 2016, due to the great need for ocean cleanups, Ocean Defender Alliance (ODA) began working in Hawai'i. We kicked off our debris-removal work in Oahu with the help of long-time friend Stephen Boreman, Esq., his nephew Mash Hatae, Vicki Szymczak, and friends from the University of Hawai’i who are very concerned about the health of their local waters.
Since that time, ODA-Hawai'i has expanded significantly, with dozens of volunteers participating in ocean cleanups on Oahu and the Big Island, with Maui to be added in early 2022.
Debris
Because the coastal waters of Hawai'i are generally very deep, it’s quite different from the work we do off the coast of California where we can dive 35-100 feet and remove debris that’s sitting on the ocean floor.
The way the ocean currents flow, most ghost gear collects in the Pacific Gyre (garbage patch), but some spins out and washes ashore. Often, we remove very large quantities of fishing net from beaches along with fishing ropes and other garbage. Occasionally, we also find fishing equipment such as nets floating at sea, and regularly we find recreational fishing lines and toxic lead weights on the coral-laiden underwater cliffs and near-shore bottoms. ODA-Hawai'i is also expert at removing debris from harbors, bays, and inlets.
Boats & Strategic Partners
In Hawai'i, rather than own and keep vessels (which means high costs for purchasing, maintenance, and moorage), we partner with four reputable dive companies (in alpha order by island):
- Oahu: Aaron's Dive Shop, Warren Murray (owner). Vessek Na Makana.
- Oahu: Island Divers Hawaii, Matt Zimmerman (owner). Vessels Sea Fox.and South Seas II
- Big Island: Aquatic Life Divers
- Big Island: Body Glove Hawaii. Vessel Kona Explorer.
- Big Island: Jack’s Diving Locker, Teri & Jeff Leicher (co-owners). Vessel Diver Two.
- Big Island: Kohala Divers, Rebekah and Greg Kaufmann (co-owners). Vessel Kohala Diver.
- Big Island: Kona Honu Divers, Byron Kay (owner). Vessel Honu One.
- Maui: Prodiver Maui, Michael Dougan (owner). Vessel Pro Diver III.
We are fortunate to have these excellent partners who truly care about the local waters. We work from their boats and they help connect us with people who want to give back to the oceans.
People
We’re thankful there are so many people in Hawai’i who are passionate about their coastal waters!
On the Big Island, as mentioned above, we enjoy working with multiple dive companies (Aquatic Life Divers, Body Glove, Jack’s Diving Locker, Kohala Divers, and Kona Honu Divers) cleaning both debris from harbors and at sea. Our Big Island coordinators are Advisory Board Member Sarah Milisen (Kona area) and Kay Cooper (Kohala area).
Our monthly dives in Oahu waters from the Aaron's Dive Shop boats are always full with eager dive volunteers. Over the years, with Aaron's and our former partner Island Divers Hawai'i, we’ve had over a hundred different divers participate. Our Oahu chapter leaders are ODA Advisory Board Members: Dive Team Coordinator & Dive Master Gary Liebmann and Oahu Volunteer Coordinator Temple Liebmann.
Places
In Hawai'i, we work regularly in the waters and on the beaches of the Islands of Hawai'i, Maui, and Oahu.
Some of our regular cleanup sites:
Island of Hawai'i:
Akoni Pule Highway
Deep Step
Honokohau Harbor
Kailua Pier
Kawaihae - three sites
Kawaihae Harbor
Keahole Point
Kealakekua - multiple sites
Kohala Coast
Outhouse
Pipe Dreams
Pololū Beach
Spencer Beach
Tako City / Sand Chute
The Hive
Maui:
Dragon’s Teeth at Makaluapuna Point
La Perouse Bay
McGregor
Papwai
Oahu:
China Walls, Fishing Camp
Hālona Blowhole
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
He'eia Pier, Kaneohe Bay
Magic Island
Poka'i Bay
Waiahole Beach Park
2024 Hawai’i Island Student Scuba Scholarship Program
We are thrilled and truly humbled to create and offer this important and impactful scholarship opportunity along with our partner, Kohala Divers, that will help drive our mission for a debris-free sea.
This program offers a full scholarship for Open Water Scuba Certification to students currently enrolled in a local high school between the ages of 15-18 years of age, as well as a full scholarship for the Dive Against Debris Certification after their Open Water Certification is completed. We are offering over a dozen scholarships!
Check out the scholarship details and application.
Volunteer Opportunities
Be sure to sign-up for our email list so we can let you know when opportunities to participate in ODA cleanups arise.
Also, you can regularly check the list of volunteer opportunities on our ODA-Hawai'i Activities page.
We’d love to have your help in Hawai'i, whether on a beach or on a boat or helping with outreach. Check out all the types of volunteering on our Get Involved page.
If you haven’t already explored our California page, we invite you to do so.
Hawai'i Articles
Ocean Defenders’ Regular Removal of Debris Keeps Oahu Waters Safe for the Ecosystem
Ghost Net Recovered by ODA-Hawaii
Abandoned Fishing Gear Hauled Out of Oahu Coastal Waters by ODA Volunteers
Crew Chronicles - Gary Liebmann - Hawai’i
Ocean Defenders Third Visit to Pololū Beach Further Reduces Build-up of Ghost Gear
Dragon’s Teeth Gets a Cleaning from Ocean Defenders Alliance Maui
Hawaiian Monk Seal Watches Over ODA Oahu Divers as They Clean His Habitat
Determined ODA Debris-Removal Divers Return Twice to Clean Maui Site
Kona Wine Market and Many Volunteers Pour Out Their Hearts for ODA and Clean Oceans
Deep Step Fishing Site Gives Up Another 11,000 Feet of Line
May 30, 2024 - Announcing the Launch of the ODA Hawai’i Island Student Scuba Scholarship Program May 29, 2024 - ODA-Hawaii Island Crew Was Busy as Bees Removing Ocean Debris from a new site called ‘The Hive’ May 14, 2024 - Northern Big Island Site – Black Point – Gets Second ODA Ocean Cleaning May 10, 2024 - Kailua Bay Part 3: Epic Earth Day Ocean Cleanup – Over Four Tons of Toxic Debris Removed by ODA May 8, 2024 - Kailua Bay Part 2: Epic Earth Day Ocean Cleanup – Over Four Tons of Toxic Debris Removed by ODA May 2, 2024 - Crew Chronicles - Sarah Milisen - Hawai’i Apr 26, 2024 - Earth Day with ODA-Oahu Sees Two Successful Cleanups in One Day Apr 18, 2024 - French-Canadian Film Crew Joins ODA for Oahu Ocean Cleanup Apr 10, 2024 - Two Tons of Ocean Debris Removed from Honokohau Harbor by Huge ODA Team Apr 3, 2024 - Big Island Ocean Defenders Remove Ghost Gear at Pololū Beach Mar 27, 2024 - Diligent Maui Volunteers Remove Significant Amount of Hazardous Fishing Equipment Mar 19, 2024 - ODA & Partner Kona Honu Divers Clean Up Keahole Point Removing More Lead and Line Mar 7, 2024 - Spencer Beach of Hawai'i Island Gets First-Ever ODA Cleanup Feb 24, 2024 - Kailua Pier gets Major Underwater Cleanup with 60+ ODA Volunteers Feb 21, 2024 - Ocean Defenders Alliance Oahu Volunteers Cleanup Waters of Spitting Cave Feb 15, 2024 - ODA-Hawai’i Removes Ocean Debris and All Kinds of Trash from Kawaihae South Harbor Feb 7, 2024 - Kawaihae Harbor Waters and Shoreline Get ODA-style Cleanup Jan 24, 2024 - ODA Retrieves Large Amounts of Ghost Gear at Sea Cave Dec 30, 2023 - ODA Maui Finishes Year with Two Cleanups Dec 26, 2023 - Video Footage of ‘Deep Step’ Big Island Fishing Spot, Deeply Covered in Abandoned Fishing Line Dec 14, 2023 - Inaugural At-Sea Debris Cleanup for ODA and Aaron’s Dive Shop is a Great Success Dec 8, 2023 - Underwater, Breakwater, and Beach Cleanup Proves Fruitful at Poka’i Bay Oct 31, 2023 - ODA Scuba Divers Aided by Volunteers on Dock Perform Huge Cleanup at He’eia Pier Oct 13, 2023 - Black Point – Another New ODA Debris Cleanup Site in Northern Hawai’i Island Waters Oct 10, 2023 - ODA Big Island Marine Debris-Removal Experts Visit Sand Chute and Add New Site 'Outhouse' Oct 6, 2023 - Poka’i Bay First Cleanup for ODA Oahu Team Sep 29, 2023 - Big Island’s ‘Deep Step Surprise’ Reveals Debris and Damage that Saddens ODA Divers Sep 1, 2023 - Tenth Cleanup at Honokohau Harbor Yields More Than Half-a-Ton of Debris Aug 14, 2023 - The Last Sunset on Lahaina - as we knew it Aug 8, 2023 - Big Island Dive Sites – Keahole Wash Rock and Sand Chute – Get Visited By Their Ocean Defenders Jul 18, 2023 - Marine Debris Recovery Efforts in Oahu Waters Yield Some Success and Return Trip Planned Jun 29, 2023 - Ocean Defenders Alliance Teams Up with Body Glove on the Big Island of Hawai’i Jun 16, 2023 - ODA Maui Crew Pulls Thousands of Feet of Polypropylene Fishing Line Jun 6, 2023 - Fish Camp’s Debris Accumulation Removed by Ocean Defending Team May 24, 2023 - Cleanup of Ghost Gear at Crystal Cove by ODA and Kohala Divers May 17, 2023 - Oahu’s Makaha Waters Cleaned by Ocean Defenders May 9, 2023 - Monk Seals, Manta Rays, and Turtles Inspire Regular Ocean Cleanups in Big Island Waters Apr 25, 2023 - Earth Day 2023 ODA-Oahu at Magic Island Apr 11, 2023 - New Area at Oahu’s China Walls Cleaned of Derelict Fishing Gear Apr 5, 2023 - Bi-monthly Ocean Cleanup by ODA and Kona Honu Divers at Keahole Point on the Big Island of Hawai’i Mar 28, 2023 - ODA and Kohala Divers Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt the Blue Cleanups Mar 23, 2023 - Recreational Fishing Gear Hauled Out at Fish Camp by ODA Volunteers Mar 15, 2023 - La Perouse Bay Maui Sees 400 Pounds of Debris Removed by Ocean Defenders Alliance Mar 8, 2023 - Fifth ODA Cleanup at He’eia Pier Removes Surprising Amount of Toxic Tires & More Feb 28, 2023 - Honokohau Harbor Rained Out But We’ll Be Back Feb 21, 2023 - ODA Ocean Cleaning Crew Inspired to Defend Whales, Mantas, and All Wildlife Feb 14, 2023 - ODA Gives Oahu’s Westside Dive Site ‘Stars’ a Much-Needed Cleaning Jan 25, 2023 - Dangerous Abandoned Fishing Gear Hauled Out at Fish Camp Oahu Jan 24, 2023 - Ocean Defenders and Kona Honu Divers Unofficially Adopt Keahole Point for Underwater Cleanups Jan 10, 2023 - ODA-Hawaii Hunts for and Removes Marine Debris at Hālona Cove Jan 6, 2023 - Crew Chronicles - Deborah Kaawalauole-Townsend and Terry Carwile - Hawai'i Dec 28, 2022 - Reflections on 20 Years and Exciting Plans for Expanded Ocean Conservation Dec 20, 2022 - Ocean Conservation Continues Despite Rough Seas Off Oahu Dec 15, 2022 - Crew Chronicles - Juan Chacin - Hawai'i Nov 30, 2022 - Four Tons and 2,000-Feet of Debris Removed at He’eia Pier Area of Kaneohe Bay Nov 22, 2022 - ODA Tackles Ocean Debris at Keahole Point with Kona Honu Divers! Nov 15, 2022 - Big Plans at Honokohau Harbor Reap Even Greater Dividends! Nov 11, 2022 - ODA Divers Remove Abandoned Recreational Fishing Gear Threatening Beautiful Ocean Life Nov 8, 2022 - Record Haul of Toxic Lead Fishing Weights Hauled Out at Hālona Blowhole Oct 18, 2022 - Fishing Equipment Continually Threatens Ecosystem of Oahu Waters Oct 11, 2022 - Maui Corals Are Relieved of Strangling Fishing Line Oct 5, 2022 - Hālona Blowhole Cleanup with Sea Lancers a Success Sep 29, 2022 - Small ODA-Hawai’i Team Makes Big Impact Sep 27, 2022 - Kailua Pier in Kona Gets a Whopper of a Cleanup by ODA and Other Groups Sep 22, 2022 - The Waters Below ‘Dragon Teeth’ Yield Large Amount of Hazardous Fishing Gear Sep 6, 2022 - Kona Honu-ODA Expedition Sees Two Sites Cleaned of Ocean Debris Aug 19, 2022 - Spitting Cave on Oahu Coast Spits Out Marine Debris Jul 29, 2022 - Kohala Divers and ODA Team-up to Train New Debris-Removal Divers Jul 18, 2022 - ODA and Kona Honu Divers Partnership Launched with Successful Debris Cleanup Dive Jul 11, 2022 - ODA’s Eighth Cleanup at Honokohau Harbor Great Success Jun 28, 2022 - He’eia Small Boat Harbor Says Good-bye to 110 Toxic Tires Jun 17, 2022 - Monk Seals and Turtles Motivate ODA-HI Ocean Debris Cleanup Work May 20, 2022 - Crew Chronicles - Marjorie & Mark - Hawai'i Apr 26, 2022 - The Aloha Spirit of ODA-Hawaii Volunteers Yields Successful Earth Day Cleanup Apr 21, 2022 - Ocean Cleanup Crew Safely Cleans Waters at Spitting Caves Apr 14, 2022 - Maui Volunteers Remove Abandoned Fishing Gear at La Perouse Bay Mar 16, 2022 - Coral and Octopus Glad to See Ocean Debris Removed from Their Habitat at China Walls Mar 14, 2022 - ODA Divers Levitate Ocean Debris to the Surface at Magic Island Mar 2, 2022 - Nudi Wear and ODA-HI Haul Off Over Two Tons of Debris from Waiahole Park Feb 23, 2022 - Maui Chapter of ODA Officially Launched with Successful Underwater Debris Cleanup Feb 21, 2022 - Lost Fishing Gear Continues to Collect and ODA-HI Removes It Feb 7, 2022 - Passion for the Ocean Fuels Big Cleanup at He’eia Pier Feb 3, 2022 - Honokohau Harbor Enjoys 7th ODA-Hawaii Cleanup Jan 25, 2022 - ODA-Hawai’i Cleanup at Fish Camp Yields Great Results Nov 24, 2021 - Fish Camp in Oahu Waters Gets Much Needed Cleaning Nov 20, 2021 - ODA Crew Removes Marine Debris at Hālona Cove Oct 28, 2021 - Hanauma Bay Gets Relieved of Ghost Nets and Plastic Debris Oct 21, 2021 - Dedicated ODA-Hawai’i Volunteers Regularly Clean Coastal Waters Sep 28, 2021 - Cleanup at Keauhou Bay for World Manta Day Sep 14, 2021 - Launch of He'eia Pier Cleanup Project Aug 18, 2021 - China Walls’ Waters Need Regular Removal of Ghost Gear Jun 17, 2021 - Keeping Oahu’s Coastal Waters Free of Debris Jun 1, 2021 - Abandoned Fishing Gear & Trash Removed from Kawaihae Harbor May 25, 2021 - More Debris Removal at Honokohau Harbor with Partner Jack’s Diving Locker May 19, 2021 - ODA-HI Cleans China Walls & Makes Plans for Kaneohe and Hanauma Bays Apr 28, 2021 - Earth Day Reef and Beach Cleanup at Magic Island, Oahu Apr 13, 2021 - A Little Help from Our Friends…and Some Great Equipment Apr 2, 2021 - Even Beautiful Hanauma Bay Needs to be Cleaned of Ghost Gear Mar 17, 2021 - Fishing Nets, Boat Hulls, and Tires Removed from Waiahole Beach Feb 19, 2021 - A Valentine’s Gift to Oahu’s Turtles and Fish Feb 4, 2021 - Endangered Green Sea Turtle Habitat in Oahu Waters Gets A Cleaning Jan 27, 2021 - ODA-Hawai’i Divers Make Ocean Debris Disappear at Magic Island Jan 19, 2021 - Second FAD Removed by ODA-HI This Month Jan 15, 2021 - Coastal Waters of Oahu Free of Abandoned Fishing Gear Jan 4, 2021 - Fish Aggregating Device ‘FAD’ Removed from Harm’s Way in Oahu Waters Dec 28, 2020 - Killer Debris Removed from Popular Oahu Fishing Site Dec 8, 2020 - ODA-Hawaii Cleans Two Debris Sites Oct 29, 2020 - Simultaneous Sea-Saving Successes Aug 6, 2020 - Waiahole Beach Park is Relieved of 3,000 Pounds of Debris Thanks to ODA-HI and Nudi Wear Jul 29, 2020 - Partnership & Scientific Studies with Friends of Hanauma Bay Jul 14, 2020 - Trio of Ocean Defenders Haul Out Hazardous Fishing Line May 20, 2020 - Three Ocean Debris Sites Cleaned in Oahu Waters Apr 28, 2020 - Individuals in Our Alliance Defend the Oceans Apr 20, 2020 - Whales Sing Praises to the ODA-HI Crew Apr 7, 2020 - Calm and Collecting Debris at Point Panic Mar 21, 2020 - So Much Ocean Defending Work to Do Jan 27, 2020 - Large Volunteer Turnout for Honokohau Harbor Cleanup Jan 16, 2020 - Sandy Beach in Oahu Gets Cleaning by ODA Jan 14, 2020 - Strong Currents Don’t Stop the ODA-Hawaii Debris Removers Nov 27, 2019 - Marine Wildlife Motivates ODA-Hawaii Debris-Removal Crew Oct 1, 2019 - ODA’s Initial Cleanup at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve Sep 10, 2019 - Kawaihae Harbor Gets Cleaned by ODA-HI Aug 28, 2019 - Massive Haul at Honokohau Harbor Cleanup Aug 26, 2019 - Dedicated Oahu Divers Remove Deadly Marine Debris Jul 17, 2019 - Video: ODA-Hawaii Volunteers Untangle Coral and Pufferfish Jul 3, 2019 - Sea Turtles and Puffer Fish Helped by ODA-Hawaii Jun 13, 2019 - World Oceans Day is Busy for ODA-Hawaii May 10, 2019 - Oahu Divers Give Back to the Ocean Apr 22, 2019 - Two-Year Anniversary of a Partnership Made in Ocean Heaven Mar 21, 2019 - Volunteers Rid Hawai’i Waters of Coral-Strangling Lines and More Feb 20, 2019 - ODA-HI Oahu Dive Team Removes Ghost Gear Feb 6, 2019 - Hawaii’s 'Big Island' Water Cleanup with Kohala Divers Jan 21, 2019 - Improvement Project Continues in Big Island Boat Harbor Dec 27, 2018 - Toxic Lead Fishing Weights Removed from Oahu Waters Oct 8, 2018 - Honokohau Harbor Cleanup Kick-off Sep 19, 2018 - Opportunity to Cleanup Honokohau Harbor Aug 6, 2018 - Hazardous Fishing Gear Hauled Out of Oahu Waters Jul 31, 2018 - Honokohau Harbor and Two Other Sites Get ODA-HI’s Attention Jul 26, 2018 - Underwater Harbor Cleanup in Big Island Waters Jul 2, 2018 - ODA-HI Oahu Team Cleans Oceans to Help Marine Wildlife and Habitat May 30, 2018 - Big Island’s ‘Trail of Tears’ Freed of Trash and Fishing Gear May 24, 2018 - Oahu’s Spitting Caves Cleaned of Marine Debris May 7, 2018 - Earth Day Cleanups on the Big Island of Hawaii Apr 20, 2018 - ODA Partners in Monster Net Removal at Kailua Beach Mar 12, 2018 - ODA-HI Volunteers Remove Ghost Gear and Multiple Abandoned Nets Feb 5, 2018 - Abandoned Fishing Gear Removed from Oahu’s Coastal Waters Jan 23, 2018 - Jack’s Diving Locker and ODA Launch First Debris Removal Expedition Jan 4, 2018 - Hawai’i Preparatory Academy Cares About the Ocean Jan 2, 2018 - Kohala Divers and ODA Join in Inaugural Debris Removal Dive Oct 26, 2017 - Fishing Lines and Lead Weights Litter Oahu’s Ocean Floor Oct 12, 2017 - Marine Wildlife Affected by the Health of Coral in Oahu Sep 20, 2017 - Maui’s Sugar Beach Sure Looks Sweet (After ODA Cleanup)! Sep 14, 2017 - Big Island of Hawai’i Coastal Waters Need Our Help Sep 11, 2017 - ‘Kohala Divers’ and ODA: New Big Island of Hawai’i Alliance for Ocean Debris Removal Sep 8, 2017 - ‘Jack’s Diving Locker’ Partners Up with ODA for Clean Oceans on the Big Island of Hawai’i Aug 29, 2017 - Oahu Coral Freed from Smothering Ghost Gear Aug 3, 2017 - Removing Monofilament Fishing Line Makes Oahu Water Safer Jul 6, 2017 - Oahu’s China Wall Cleaned by ODA-HI Crew May 26, 2017 - Big Island and Maui Added to ODA's Hawai'ian Expansion May 18, 2017 - ODA Hawai’i Schedules Monthly Dives in Oahu Waters Mar 31, 2017 - Hawaii Ghost Gear Removal by ODA’s Captain Sep 29, 2016 - Hawai’i Chapter of ODA Launches First Expedition! Mar 23, 2016 - Inaugural Activities for ODA Hawai’i Mar 18, 2016 - ODA Launches New Hawai’i Chapter