Kauai’s iconic beaches look perfect, until they don’t. One day it’s beautiful turquoise water and golden sand. The next, an abandoned fishing net the size of a pickup truck has rolled in, tangled with ropes and buoys and whatever else the Pacific Ocean regurgitated overnight. A recent record cleanup pulled 163,000 pounds off the Garden Island’s sand. And it was barely noticeable.
The moment the last bag of trash was hauled away, the next batch was already rolling in. That is life on the front line of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The garbage patch likes Kauai too much.
In part it’s an issue of geography. Kauai sits where Pacific currents and seasonal winds push floating debris straight into the island’s east shore. That includes beaches such as Anahola, Wailua, Lydgate. They get it the worst.
Most of it is fishing gear. Nets, ropes, traps, floats. Some of it drifts thousands of miles before landing here on Kauai. They wrap around reefs, tangle in trees, and scatter across the sand. Clean it in the morning and it can be back by the end of the day.
The latest big cleanup.
Surfrider Foundation Kauai led the effort, with backup from nonprofits, schools, hotels, and a surprising number of visitors. More than 5,600 people put in 6,400 hours to yank fishing nets the size of SUVs, rope coils as thick as your arm, and enough flip-flops to outfit a small town. And this was not just locals doing the heavy lifting.
Visitors get in the cleanup mix too, for those who want to. Surfrider’s “Ocean Friendly Visitors” program invites guests to join open-air net patrols each week. Tour operators and other Mālama-themed packages also include drop-in cleanup opportunities. And yes, some hotels, like 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, have joined in through Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Hotels program.
Why it keeps coming.
The Garbage Patch is not one big floating island you can scoop up and then tow away. It is a moving soup of junk, including everything from bottle caps to monster fishing nets, breaking apart and drifting until something stops it. Both storms and seasonal winds can also dump a fresh load on the beach overnight.
The same trade winds that make the east shore great for surfing are the ones that push the garbage in.
What Kauai visitors should know.
If you are headed for Kauai’s beaches, know this: the east shore takes the biggest hit, especially during the winter. South and north shores fare better, but nothing is completely safe.
And if you want to do more than dodge the mess, grab a bag and join a cleanup. Surfrider Foundation Kauai posts open schedules, and most welcome walk-ups. An hour on the sand can make a welcome dent you can actually see.
Why this is a visitor story too.
Hawaii tourism talks a lot about sustainability. This is what it can actually look like: people in the sun hauling heavy nets off the sand.
Tourism is part of the fix here. Visitors help fund and join cleanups. Spending an hour on a cleanup is one way to leave Hawaii better than you found it.
The bigger picture.
Marine debris is more than an eyesore. Ghost nets can trap sea turtles and monk seals. Plastics break down into microplastics that end up in fish and seabirds and humans.
Kauai sees it up close. A record cleanup is worth celebrating, but it is also a reminder the ocean will keep sending more work.
How visitors can help.
- Ask your accommodation if they work with cleanup groups.
- Bring sturdy shoes and gloves.
- Be ready to wrestle with heavy nets.
- Snap before-and-after photos.
- Skip single-use plastics while you are here.
Small efforts add up when enough people pitch in.
The Kauai beach takeaway.
Kauai’s beaches are still worth the trip. They always will be. But they are also worth protecting. That could mean putting down the mai tai, grabbing a trash bag, and giving an hour to the shore you came to see.
You will leave with cleaner sand under your feet and a story worth telling.
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Lydgate Beach park
John lydgate
Friends of kamalani
All volunteers
Clean beach
Plant tree
Clean burial site
Surfrider awesome
From lydgate to Playgrounds and all kauai hard work
Donated your time
And vehicles
Thrashed your trucks
Excellent Job cleaner
Beachs
Speaking of trash BOH. I just heard the other day on the news of a boat that ran a ground off of Oahu on some sandbar and had to be rescued by professionals. I also heard of some individual who threw sulpheric acid from a red hydroflask container into someones face in china town and according to news media this was the third reported occurrance. Did the drums stop beating or did you not hear of this news yet.
I must admit I am not crazy about cleaning up the mess others leave, although I do it every time I see a plastic bottle on the beach and try to get the ropes and whatever is left from the fisher nets out of the water …definitely not an easy task. I am more interested in knowing what is being done to “prevent” people from being irresponsible. Where are fines and who can we call when we see who does this. And what about people taking their plastic glasses with alcoholic beverages right in front of the Westin Villas in Maui while glass is not allowed because it’s too close to the pool ….
Reminder to self when packing for Hawaii trip:
1) 1 pair heavy duty boots
2) 1 pair heavy duty garden gloves. ……
There are many opportunities to help while people are visiting. Because we are usually on Maui, longer than other islands, we are more familiar with a few places we have volunteered there.
Sharktastic does beach cleanup at Ka’ehu, 9-noon on the last Sunday of the month. If you are not in shape to haul stuff off the beach for 3 hours, you can help sort and collect the data on what is brought in. We’ve met great folks there.
Trilogy does a Blue ‘Aina sailing the 1st Sunday if the month, ocean cleanup (must be able to free dive), book ahead of time.
Pacific Whale Foundation will give you a free kit with a data sheet to record what you pick up. You can do this at your leisure, any time you are on any beach.
My husband is a diver and he and his buddies come back with pockets full of stuff, mostly fishing line/gear every single time they are out.
The islands are so beautiful, if everyone did a little bit to help out, it would make a big difference.
Aloha!
Just from my personal observation. I’ve seen boat tourists and the ones that fly in . Having a hard time putting their trash in a proper debris receptacle . Seems to take a lot more effort than I thought.
This is just an idea that could be a “win win” for everybody: How about waive the “Green Fee” for the visitor that donates 4 hours of their time to help with a clean up effort? This plan could be expanded to other Island clean up efforts in addition to Kauai’s beaches. The State could provide shuttle buses from the hotel to the clean up site. Sure, the shuttle buses, disposable gloves, etc. would cost the State some funding, but isn’t that what the Green Fee is for anyway? Instead of all the complaining about extra fees, and the complaining about tourists, how about we do something where we all work together and something done? Ed N.
Back in the 1990’s I went to Niihau with the Robinson Medivac Helicopter. I was very surprised to see the beaches covered in plastic junk, fishing nets and 1.75 liter empty whisky bottles. The pilot told me that the residents do not get anything out of collecting it so they leave it there. They are more focused on getting food and necessities and less on lying on beaches. He said the majority of it comes from Japanese fishing vessels.