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Hui O Ka Wai Ola

@huiokawaiola

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Maui Nui's Clean Ocean Team - Community ocean water quality monitoring every 3 weeks since 2016 🪣 View our DATA and DONATE to support us below 🪸🐠💙

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Today, we’re proud to release Hui O Ka Wai Ola’s newest Coastal Water Quality Report — a milestone publication that brings together a decade of community-based monitoring across Maui Nui.

Since 2016, our volunteers have collected water quality samples every three weeks from 46 coastal sites, building one of Hawaiʻi’s longest-running community science datasets foral coastal water quality. This report puts words, context, and understanding behind the 5,500+ data points we’ve collected.

Inside the report, you’ll find:
📈 Long-term water quality trends
🌊 Site-by-site insights across leeward Maui
🪸 Findings related to reef and nearshore ecosystem health
🛠️ Management recommendations to improve coastal water quality

This report is also the foundation for our new “Know Your Beaches” Instagram series, where we’ll be highlighting individual monitoring sites and sharing the stories behind the data.

But most importantly, this report is for you — our community. Whether you’re a surfer, paddler, fisher, educator, policymaker, or someone who simply loves Maui’s ocean, we hope this report helps deepen your understanding of the waters that connect us all.

📘 Download the full report for free at huiokawaiola.com 🔗 Link in bio
Mahalo to every volunteer, partner, and supporter who made these past 10 years possible. 💙

Join our Team! 🔗 Link in bio

Photo 📸 credit:
Slide - 1 Kelly James
Slide 2 - Levity Photography
Slide 3 - Kelly James
Slide 4 - Kelly James
Slide 5 - Kelly James
Slide 6 - Liz Yannell
Slide 7 - Kelly James
Slide 8 - Kelly James
Slide 9 - HOKWO

#HuiOKaWaiOla #KnowYourBeaches #MauiNui #Maui #WaterQuality #CommunityScience #CitizenScience #CoralReef #ReefHealth #OceanConservation #MalamaKai #MalamaAina #CoastalMonitoring #ProtectWhatYouLove #HOKWO #MNMRC #nature_hi_pal by @huiokawaiola

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4 months ago

Cloudy water isn't always dirty water.
🌊🧪122 samples at Ukumehame.
Here's what we found.
👀Full breakdown on our page, link in Bio

Come back for a full breakdown of Ukumehame Beach
#Ukumehame #WestMaui #WaterQuality #CitizenScience #HuiOKaWaiOla by @huiokawaiola

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13 hours ago

🌟 Team Spotlight | Isabel 🌺

Born and raised on Maui — showing up for the ʻāina she grew up on. 🌊

Isabel has been a volunteer with Hui O Ka Wai Ola since 2024 and has recently stepped into the role of Team Lead. 🔬

Isabel advocates for Maui in every way she can:

🏖️ Coordinating and participating in beach and reef cleanups
🐢 Assisting during hawksbill and green sea turtle nesting season
💧 Championing water quality monitoring and protection

Isabel serves as the Pili Nā Moku Community Based Monitoring Technician for the Division of Aquatic Resources — bringing professional expertise and deep local knowledge to everything she does. 🌺

She is honored to work for the community and the land she grew up on — and we are honored to have her on our team. 🙏

Mahalo nui loa, Isabel! 💙🌺

💙 Donate via the link in our bio

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #waterquality by @huiokawaiola

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17 days ago

🌟 Staff Spotlight | Dana Grad 🌺

Meet Dana, our West and South Maui Team Lead!

After volunteering with the Hui water quality testing team, Dana has steped up to lead in South and West Maui. She has lived in coastal communities from Kahana to Lahaina to Pāʻia, so she's seen firsthand how the health of Maui's waters affects residents and visitors alike.

Dana grew up in Chicago and earned a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Denver. She then made her way west to Maui from the slopes of Copper Mountain. She has worked on the water as a scuba instructor, sailboat crew member, and naturalist, and she has volunteered at the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute Coral Lab.

When she's off the clock, you'll find Dana on or under the waves: surfing, kayaking, freediving, or scuba diving.

Mahalo nui loa, Dana 🙏🌺🌊
#WaterQuality #SouthMaui #MauiOcean #CitizenScience #MeetTheTeam

👉 Donate via the link in our bio!

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #waterquality by @huiokawaiola

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18 days ago

🙏 Mahalo nui loa, Pacific Whale Foundation! 🐋🌊
We are incredibly grateful to @pacificwhalefoundationmaui for their generosity and aloha spirit in sharing their classroom space as a temporary lab for our water quality program. 💙

This partnership means our West Maui team can continue monitoring and protecting Maui's coastal waters and reefs — work that never stops, no matter what. 🔬🪸

As many of you know, we lost our West Maui Lab in the 2023 Lāhainā wildfires. 🔥 We are actively raising funds and searching for a more permanent lab space so we can continue this critical work long term.

If you can help:
💙 Donate via the link in our bio
📢 Share this post to spread the word
🤝 Know of a space? Please reach out! We’re looking for a small space to use once every three weeks with a sink and climate control.

It takes a community to protect an ocean. Mahalo to Pacific Whale Foundation for showing up for ours. 🌺🤙

#MaukaToMakai #HuiOKaWaiOla #PacificWhaleFoundationMaui #MauiStrong #LahainaStrong #MauiConservation #WaterQuality #MalamaAina #CommunityPartners #MauiNonprofit by @huiokawaiola

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18 days ago

🌟 Staff Spotlight | George Burnette 🌺

George was among the very first Hui O Ka Wai Ola volunteers back in 2016. As the program grew, he became one of our first two Team Leads. He has been with us on and off ever since, and we're delighted to have him back as a Team Lead once again.

A 1976 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, George spent 38 years as a pilot, first for the U.S. Air Force and then for Delta Air Lines. He moved to Maui in 2013, retired in 2016, and has since volunteered with many local organizations.

His love of the ocean started young, when his parents let him learn to scuba dive. After seeing many of Maui's reefs up close, he grew concerned about their health, and that's what got him interested in ocean water quality.
Away from the water, George and his wife enjoy attending one of Maui's historic Hawaiian churches, playing golf together, and quiet time at home.

Mahalo, George! 🌊

👉 Donate via the link in our bio!

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #waterquality by @huiokawaiola

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24 days ago

🌟 Team Spotlight | Kristina Mchugh 🌺

Mahalo nui loa, Kristina! 🙏🌺

Kristina started with Hui O Ka Wai Ola in 2022 as a volunteer water tester for the South Side. Originally from Santa Monica, CA, Kristina grew up spending as much time by the ocean as possible and has always been passionate about the ocean and marine life (especially sharks!). She has a BS in Environmental Science with a minor in Economics from UCSB, but professionally, she is a Data & Systems Analyst in the Aerospace industry. In her spare time, Kristina loves to freedive, SCUBA dive, and spend as much time in the ocean as possible! As an ocean enthusiast, she believes it is her duty and kuleana to do what she can to protect the ocean and give back to the community. In addition to volunteering at HOKWO, she is the Surfrider Blue Water Task Force program coordinator.

👉 Donate via the link in our bio!

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #WaterQuality by @huiokawaiola

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a month ago

Did you know that El Niño doesn’t heat the entire ocean equally—it redistributes heat across the Pacific? 🌊🔥

While places like the Galápagos are experiencing extreme heat spikes, ocean temperature changes right here in Maui directly impact our local coral reefs and marine ecosystems.

Elevated sea surface temperatures increase heat stress on corals, pushing them toward bleaching thresholds. That’s why real-time monitoring is critical!

We’re proud to partner with local ocean stewards monitoring Aqualink buoys here on Maui! 📍🛰️

Aqualink provides live satellite and buoy data—tracking:
🌡️ Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (How far today's water is from normal)
🔴 Heat Stress Layers (Accumulated heat over time)
🌊 Wave & Wind Conditions
Want to check the live water temperature and reef conditions at our local Maui buoy sites?
👉 click the link https://aqualink.org to explore Aqualink’s interactive ocean map and track our reefs in real-time!

#Aqualink #MauiReefs #ElNino #CoralBleaching #OceanData #MauiOcean #HuiOKaWaiOla #ClimateMonitoring #SaveOurReefs #citizenscience by @huiokawaiola

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a month ago

🌟 Staff Spotlight | Ylenia Mayen St-Louis 🌺

Mahalo nui loa, Ylenia 🙏🌺

Ylenia started with Hui O Ka Wai Ola in 2021 as a volunteer for the West side, and eventually became a Team Lead for the South Maui team in 2022. Originally from New York City, Ylenia’s love for the ocean began at a very young age. She went to Stockton University in New Jersey where she earned her bachelor's degree in Marine Biology, then spent time in the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Ketchikan, Alaska, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, receiving her SCUBA Instructor Certification while in Cozumel, Mexico. Ylenia received her Master's in Education at Hawaii Pacific University. Ylenia has been living in Hawai'i for over 10 years. At work, she can be found in the field with volunteers, in the lab verifying samples, or helping with training, outreach, and education events!

👉 Donate via link in bio !

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #WaterQuality by @huiokawaiola

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a month ago

🌟 Staff Spotlight | Brie Morrissette 🌺

Mahalo nui loa, Brie 🙏🌺

Brie joined Hui O Ka Wai Ola in the summer of 2025 as a volunteer for water quality testing, and in the autumn of 2026, she became a Team Lead. She completed the Marine Options Program at UH Maui College in order to understand Maui's relationship to the ocean, to learn how it is managed, and to find out how to participate in caring for Maui's biggest natural resource. Brie moved to Maui from a small Colorado town where she worked in public lands, in archaeology, and in public education. She enjoys using scientific practices to understand the environment and its changes, and works to help her communities better understand their local resources. She played in Maui's waves as a child and has loved these waters ever since, and is honored to get to enjoy and care for them now.

👉 Donate via the link in our bio!

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #waterquality by @huiokawaiola

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a month ago

Elevated nitrate levels can cause algae blooms which can smother, weaken, and KILL CORALS.

COVE PARK has consistently had the highest nutrient pollution out of all Hui 0 Ka Wai Ola’s 47 sites on Maui since 2016!

Tracking these invisible trends is why our Hui O Ka Wai Ola volunteers sample Maui’s coastlines every month!

👉 Want to see how your local beach scores? Click on the link to explore our full coastal water quality database!

https://www.huiokawaiola.com/findings.html

#CovePark #Kihei #MauiWater #HuiOKaWaiOla #oceandata #OceanData by @huiokawaiola

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a month ago

🌟 Volunteer Spotlight | Mason Higgins 🌺

Mahalo nui loa, Mason! 🙏🌺

Want to support the work that Mason and our entire team make possible? 👉 Donate via the link in our bio!

We are currently looking for volunteers to help out our south Maui teams on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, if interested please apply online. 🔗Link in bio☝️

Stewardship is how we show up for our ʻāina. 🤙🌊
#MauiConservation #HuiOKaWaiOla #DataQuality #CommunityScience #waterquality by @huiokawaiola

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1

a month ago