2018

Today we did the beach cleanup and the drive up to Mauna Kea. During the beach cleanup we picked up harmful plastics, metals, and trash like cigarettes that littered the beach. This was very special however because while doing this we got to see the second monk seal of the trip. Monk seals are the most endangered species in...

I am very excited of multiple things about going to Hawaii, such as the multiple dives, able to see all the different sea creatures, and experiencing Hawaiian culture and tradition. However, I am most excited about the Black Water dive, since we are going to be diving at night seeing all the cool sea creatures that only could be...

I am very excited for the manta ray dive and harp seal rescue efforts. I love interacting with and observing animals, especially sea life.

Today is my first day on the island of Kona and I am extremely excited for the days to come. Tomorrow my group, the Pyrosome group, will be heading to the summit of Mauna Kea. While I am very excited to hike up a mountain for the first time, I am definitely not ready for the 30 degree weather...

Today was our sixth day in Hawaii, and we had another great day! We began our day be waking up later than usual, leaving at around 8:30. My group, the pyrosomes, had to pack a lunch, since we weren't coming back to the house to eat lunch, since we were doing the hike after. We first went to the...

Without breakfast, we travelled to a beach to remove trash and plastic from it. We walked up and down the beach removing trash from the shoreline. After 30 minutes we took a break and were told about anchialine pools. They are little tide pools on the shore where there are usually animals. Unfortunately, sand built up after a tsunami....

After an exciting arrival day on the island, we set out on our second day. Our first stop, NELHA taught us three main points: OTEC, ocean water air conditioning, and the process of rehabilitating a monk seal. Firstly, OTEC creates renewable energy that can be accomplished by pumping cold deep ocean water and warm surface water. They use the...

On day six of our trip, we participated in a large beach clean up to help give back to the local community. At the service site, we began by having a contest to see who could pick up the most trash. During this portion, I had the ability to learn about the different types of trash (marine debris versus...

We started today off at our service opportunity on the beach. The service consisted of picking up trash, clearing out sand from a red shrimp pond, and building sand castles with that sand. My group decided to build a whale shark named fluffy out of the sand we collected. Our castle got third place and I won a metal...