Sunday June 5th our Blue'Aina volunteers set out for the day to lend a hand too our local reefs. Corporate Sponsor Trilogy donated to the Surfrider Foundation Maui and enjoyed delicious food from the Hard Rock Cafe. The weather was beautiful and after not being able to get in the water last month everyone was ready to jump in. We started with a land based harbor cleanup then boarded Trilogy VI to head to Kahekili Reef.

While not known for an excessive amount of trash, Kahekili Reef is distressed and in poor condition. The focus of this Blue'Aina was more on awareness and snorkeling with "reef health" in mind. Kahekili is a Fishery Management Area an area stretching from Black Rock up to the south end of Honokowai Park. The area within this reserve is off limits to kill, injure, or capture rudderfish (nene), parrotfish (uhu), any of Hawaii’s 24 species of surgeonfish, and all sea urchin. Kahekili is also the focus of watershed management efforts. After snorkeling we had an on board discussion about coral reefs, stressors they face, and what we can do about it. 

Surfrider Foundation Maui is a grassroots environmental non-profit dedicated to protecting the oceans, beaches and waves. Surfrider Foundation Maui hosts monthly land based beach cleanups the 3rd Friday of every month. Currently they are working towards certifying Maui restaurants as "Ocean Friendly Restaurants". You can check out the criteria and gather information to take to your favorite spots here: http://www.oceanfriendlyrestaurantshawaii.org/

Our next Blue’Aina is on August 7th. Head over to http://sailtrilogy.com/helpmaui to reserve your spot.