The Kauai Surfrider Foundation has been working on an incredible campaign called OFV or Ocean Friendly Visitors. One incredibly cool feature of this program is providing beach clean-up kits to local hotels, this includes mesh bags and gloves. If your hotel isn’t participating in the program, consider mentioning it to them. You can always do a beach clean up with supplies you find here on Island or that you bring from home! The Surfrider Foundation also has regularly scheduled beach cleanups as well!
Be sure to tag #oceanfriendlyvisitor and Kauai Surfrider on social media or send your photos to campaigns@kauai.surfrider.org for a feature on their social media platforms!
Looking for a place to drop off all that ocean plastic you find at the beach? Be sure to stop by the Redhouse Collective in Kapaa. There is a red trash can dedicated to ocean plastics. The Redhouse features incredible local artists, musicians and performers. I highly recommend checking out their event calendar.
BE REEF FRIENDLY
The REEF is a living part of the ocean ecosystem and absolutely critical for maintaining ocean life that surrounds them.
Please be sure to wear a REEF safe Sunscreen while you enjoy your time on Kauai. The chemicals in many commercial Sunscreen are toxic to our marine ecosystem. But worry not you can find a wonderful selection of locally made REEF safe Sunscreens here on Island.
I have been using Hawaii Peeps Sunscreen. The Sunscreen comes in a stick version or in a tin and, like all REEF safe sunscreens, relies heavily on Zinc as the primary SPF. Unlike many zinc based sunscreens, Peeps leaves a gentle tropical scent on your skin AND leaves your skin feeling soft and radiant after you wash it off. I recently used this Sunscreen on an 80 mile open ocean SUP challenge and got so many compliments on how great my skin looked the following day.
One thing that can be off putting with this sunscreen is that it leaves a light brown tint on your skin (which I prefer to the chalky white of most zinc sunscreens). You can find Peeps online or in most local surf shops.
If you want to to skip the Sunscreen all together pick a wide brimmed hat and a rash gaurd or long sleeve swimsuit. Any of our local surf shops and most bikini shops will have these available. Looking for locally made long sleeve suits check out Kai Kini swimsuits and have a custom suit made for you! You can also find fun, unique long sleeve suits and rashgaurds at Michel Art Studio in Hanalei.
If you plan on snorkeling enjoy the beauty with your eyes, but please do not touch or stand on the reef, even with your fins.
HELP KEEP THE BEACHES BEAUTIFUL
The beaches on Kauai are something to write home about. Long stretches of white sand. Beautiful Hawaiian waters! Spending a day (or several) at the beach is an absolute must! Here are a few things you can do to help keep our beaches clean.
- Pack out everything you bring in. Fins, boogie boards, floaties and food items.
- Bring reusuables! Fill up your reusablee water bottles, bring reusable utensil kits, look for foods that don’t require packaging (like fruits and veg from the local farmers market!)
- Many beach access points do not have trash cans, so come prepared with a small trash bag to bring waste back to your lodging.
There are some really great programs that allow visitors to pass along items to the next set of visitors. You can check out Pass It On Kauai on Facebook if you have items such as boogie boards, plastic floaties, beach chairs or other gear that your purchased on island, but don’t plan on taking home. This is also such a cool resource to find items before you buy them!
Aloha Tammie Professional Serivces can help you with any ideas above. For a small fee, our taskers will pick up and drop off any items you would like to donate, pass on or recycle. We can also shop local products for you at the Farmer’s Market. Refill Hale and Refill Kauai are great options for sustainable gear such as compostable brushes, cleaning tools, and reusable picnic ware.
Together, we can protect this beautiful island we love so much!
Have you tried any of the activities above, Drop a line in the comment below!
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