Programs, Hanauma Bay Education Program

Community Activities

Overview

Every Thursday evening at 6:30 pm, the Hanauma Bay Education Program hosts an volunteers and visitor educational film or lecture in the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve theater. Events are free and open to the public (donations appreciated!) and last until 7:30 or 8:00 pm. Park hours are extended on Thursday evenings to accommodate these events. Parking and entrance to the Bay are free after 4:30 pm. For a current schedule, see our events calendar. For more information, or to sign up for our event announcements, contact the Hanauma Bay Education Program.

Hanauma Bay Film Night

On the first and third Thursdays of every month, the Hanauma Bay Education Program hosts a Hanauma Bay Film Night, featuring educational films on marine science and natural history or, occasionally, on Hawaiian culture. Films are introduced by local scientists and community leaders and are followed by a short question and answer session. When possible, films will be coordinated with lecture topics. Kids are welcome.

Educational Lecture Series

On the second and fourth Thursday of every month, the Hanauma Bay Education Program brings Hawaii's leading researchers and environmental leaders to the bay to speak about their work. Past topics have included marine biology (sea turtles, marine mammals, sea and shore birds, sharks and rays), marine geology (submarine hydrothermal vents, formation of the Hawaiian Islands, volcanism of Oahu), resource conservation and management (aquaculture, introduced species, endangered species, coral reef monitoring, marine protected areas, the ahupua'a system, fisheries management), physical oceanography and meteorology (wave forecasting, tsunamis, beach erosion, hurricanes) and general interest (underwater photography, saltwater aquaria, undersea exploration, marine archaeology, Polynesian voyaging). Lectures may be rebroadcast on Olelo in the future, so stay tuned.

Off-site Programs

Staff at the Hanauma Bay Education Program are available for a variety of off-site educational activities. Currently we do educational and training lectures for community organizations and local schools on such topics as coral reef ecology and preservation, marine protected areas, reef fish and invertebrate identification, geology and formation of the Hawaiian Islands, formation of coral reefs, native Hawaiian uses of coastal plants and marine life, and harmful marine organisms. We are equipped with both a portable computer data projector and overhead projector, several laptop computers, large displays and hundreds of hands-on marine specimens. Our staff can also travel to your community organization to give a brief presentation on the new educational facilities and volunteer opportunities at the Bay.

Future Programs

The Outreach Education program at Hanauma Bay is relatively new and is constantly evolving. Several of our future goals include:

working with schools and colleges to integrate visits to the bay with classroom curricula, so that the natural resources of Hanauma Bay become a tool for teaching science, environmental education and coral reef conservation in Hawaii;
starting community-based, long-term monitoring projects in the bay, to both teach scientific methods and gather important data on various topics, including the impact of visitors on the Bay;
improving marine protected areas management in the insular Pacific through workshops and training classes.

Last updated June 3, 2004
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