Surfrider Foundation - Oʻahu Chapter

08/25/2026

High Bacteria found on East, North, and South O’ahu!

Currently, 12 out of 21 sites fail to meet recreational health standards for Enterococcus, a f***l indicator bacteria. 
 
As always, ocean users are advised to avoid ocean water that is brown and sites that fail to meet health standards.

The Blue Water Task Force is looking for volunteers, especially if you can help transport samples from the North Shore! We test Oʻahu beaches every other Sunday, but your commitment would be based on your availability - once a month, once every two months. Email Arleen at [email protected] if interested. It’s rewarding to know we are helping to keep beachgoers healthy!
 
Stay informed. Stay safe. And always remember to rinse!

08/11/2026

High Bacteria found on East, North, and South O’ahu!

Currently, 8 out of 19 sites fail to meet recreational health standards for Enterococcus, a f***l indicator bacteria. 
 
Extremely high bacteria counts at:
East Oʻahu - Kahaluʻu Beach
South Oʻahu - Kuliʻouʻou Stream
 
As always, ocean users are advised to avoid ocean water that is brown and sites that fail to meet health standards.

The Blue Water Task Force is looking for volunteers, especially if you can help transport samples from the North Shore! We test Oʻahu beaches every other Sunday, but your commitment would be based on your availability - once a month, once every two months. Email Arleen at [email protected] if interested. It’s rewarding to know we are helping to keep beachgoers healthy!
 
Stay informed. Stay safe. And always remember to rinse!

07/30/2026

Help Surfrider O’ahu mālama our Ocean Friendly Garden in Kaka’ako on Sunday, August 9th from 8-10 AM! We’ll be weeding, trimming, hauling green waste debris and more - sunscreen, bug spray gloves & tools are provided.

Our Ocean Friendly Garden workdays aim to restore the helpful functions of watersheds like protecting local water supplies and preventing pollution from reaching the ocean. We are also transforming it into a Native Hawaiian demonstration garden and propagation hub. To learn more and to sign up, go to https://oahu.surfrider.org/events

Questions? Email [email protected]

07/28/2026

High Bacteria found on East Oʻahu!

Currently, 6 out of 19 sites fail to meet recreational health standards for Enterococcus, a f***l indicator bacteria. 
 
Extremely high bacteria counts at:
East Oʻahu - Hakipuʻu Boat Ramp
 
As always, ocean users are advised to avoid ocean water that is brown and sites that fail to meet health standards.

The Blue Water Task Force is looking for volunteers, especially if you can help transport samples from the North Shore! We test Oʻahu beaches every other Sunday, but your commitment would be based on your availability - once a month, once every two months. Email Arleen at [email protected] if interested. It’s rewarding to know we are helping to keep beachgoers healthy!
 
Stay informed. Stay safe. And always remember to rinse!

07/17/2026

Victory for Clean Water! 💧🌊

Hawaiʻi has the highest number of cesspools per capita in the nation, with approximately 83,000 cesspools releasing an estimated 52 million gallons of untreated sewage into the environment every day.

While Act 125 established a statewide mandate to convert all cesspools by 2050, we are only converting a fraction of the cesspools necessary to meet that deadline. The high cost of conversion has remained one of the biggest barriers for homeowners with conversions often exceeding $25K.

Recognizing this barrier, HB1618 was introduced to help make cesspool conversions more feasible for Hawaiʻi homewoners. On July 8th, Governor Green signed the bill into law as Act 204!

Mahalo to everyone who helped champion this effort, including our legislative champions, community partners, and the Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority for administering the new financing program.

Together, we’re one step closer to achieving Hawaiʻi’s cesspool conversion goal while protecting clean water, healthy communities, and thriving coastal ecosystems.

07/16/2026

Mahalo to the Starbucks employee on Oʻahu who nominated our Surfrider chapter for a Starbucks Neighborhood Grant! 🤙💚

& Mahalo Starbucks Kakaʻako for all of your support!

We are very grateful to have been selected to receive a $1,000 grant! This will support our ocean friendly garden in Kakaʻako, which protects coastal areas by reducing urban stormwater runoff. 🌱💧

07/15/2026

High Bacteria on East and South Oʻahu!

Currently, 8 out of 20 sites fail to meet recreational health standards for Enterococcus, a f***l indicator bacteria.

Extremely high bacteria counts at:
South Oʻahu - Kuliʻouʻou Stream

As always, ocean users are advised to avoid ocean water that is brown and sites that fail to meet health standards.

The Blue Water Task force is looking for volunteers, especially if you can help transport samples from the North Shore! We test Oʻahu beaches every other Sunday, but your commitment would be based on your availability - once a month, once every two months. Email Arleen at [email protected] if interested. It’s rewarding to know we are helping to keep beachgoers healthy!

Stay informed. Stay safe. And always remember to rinse!

07/08/2026

07/03/2026

We are looking forward to our July OFG workday on Sunday, July 12th from 8 to 10 am. Come spend the morning helping us mālama our garden! Don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle, sun protection, and closed toe shoes. We will have gloves and tools!

Learn more and sign up now at the link in our bio under “EVENT REGISTRATION”! 🌱

07/03/2026

Our next beach cleanup will be this Sunday, July 5th from 8 to 10 am at Kailua Beach Park! Link in bio to register — don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle and sun protection! 🤙

We know this cleanup is last minute — even if you can’t make it, we encourage you to clean up after yourselves and others at your local beach. And if you’re traveling for the 4th, check out the Surfrider website to find a “Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year” cleanup close to you!

We hope to see you there!