Keiki learn to mālama our ocean resources while enjoying the thrill of riding a canoe, surfing and stand-up paddleboarding at the annual E Mālama I Ke Kai Ocean Awareness Festival. - Photo: Courtesy of E Malama I Ke Kai

Festival offers ocean
awareness wrapped in fun

By Sterling Wong / OHA Native Rights Hale

While we live on tiny islands in the middle of the world's largest ocean, many in Hawai'i don't know enough about our surrounding waters. Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha'o preschool, along with Chevron, is trying to change that by hosting the 11th annual E Mālama I Ke Kai Ocean Awareness Festival.

"So many of us get so caught up in our everyday activities that we somehow forget about the ocean," said Miles Topping, president of the parent group of Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha'o preschool. "Our whole goal with E Mālama I Ke Kai is to create a fun venue for people to establish a relationship with the ocean, to get more comfortable being around the water and to learn about the challenges our delicate marine resources face."

Hui Mākua o Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha'o, the parent group of the preschool, is organizing the event with help from festival sponsors: Chevron, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and Kamehameha Schools. This year's festival will be held at the Kapi'olani Park Bandstand on May 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Proceeds from the festival benefit Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha'o (PLOK), one of 11 'Aha Pūnana Leo preschools in the state. Located on the grounds of the historic Kawaiaha'o Church in Honolulu, PLOK first opened its doors in 1995. As a Hawaiian language immersion preschool dedicated to preserving the native language of Hawai'i, PLOK's entire curriculum is conducted in Hawaiian, and the school currently serves 21 students.

One of the more notable events of this year's E Mālama I Ke Kai will be a free swim and surf clinic for keiki, run by professional longboard surfer and Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha'o parent Duane DeSoto. Presented through DeSoto's nonprofit group Nā Kama Kai, the clinic will help introduce keiki to ocean-related activities, such as paddling a canoe and surfing with traditional wood surfboards. About 30 professional surfers and lifeguards will help run the clinic, which will be offered from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. at Kaimana Beach.

The festival will be packed with a wide assortment of other activities, such as educational exhibits by marine conservation organizations, food and crafts booths, a silent auction, Native Hawaiian cultural presentations and live performances by some of the best in island music, including Natural Vibrations.

For more information about the festival, please call Sterling Wong at 561-4430.

Sterling Wong, a former publications editor of Ka Wai Ola, works as a policy advocate for OHA's Native Rights and Land and Culture Hale. His eldest daughter attends Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha'o.