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Hundreds of public elementary school students in West Oahu will be receiving swim lessons and ocean knowledge under a new pilot program between a nonprofit and the state Department of Education.
The five-day program for fourth graders began Wednesday and is scheduled to run weekdays through Thanksgiving weekend for an initial cohort of 450 students at schools between Makaha and Nanakuli.
Organizers said the program, produced by the nonprofit Na Kama Kai with assistance from Leahi Swim School, is the first Hawaii public school swim program partnership since Ralph Goto of Sea Trek Hawaii ran a statewide environmental education and aquatics safety program serving more than 10, 000 fourth graders from 1978 to 1980.
“Access to water safety education has long been limited on Oahu’s West Side, ” Duane DeSoto, Na Kama Kai founder and CEO, said in a news release. “This program fills a critical gap, teaching keiki not just how to swim, but how to respect and safely engage with the ocean.”
One classroom per week will participate one hour per day in program activities that include 20 minutes of swim lessons off Neneu Beach in Pokai Bay with Leahi, 20 minutes of ocean safety education and 20 minutes of other ocean-focused activities that include cultural knowledge.
Participating students also will complete assessments before and after the program to measure growth, reflection and understanding of ocean safety concepts.
DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi said the partnership and program will provide students with skills and knowledge that are meaningful given Hawaii’s unique natural environment and culture.
“Students will gain not only the skills and confidence they need to navigate Hawaii’s waters safely, but also a deeper appreciation for the traditions and values that have sustained our island communities for generations, ” he said in the news release.
DeSoto, a professional surfer, founded Na Kama Kai in 2008 with a stated mission to empower children by connecting them to the ocean and land with a goal to nurture a deeper sense of aloha and responsibility for the natural environment and themselves.
The organization in 2023 partnered with Leahi, the Lili ‘uokalani Trust and the Nanakuli Kipuka to provide ocean swim lessons for keiki during spring, summer and fall school breaks in underserved communities, particularly on the Waianae Coast, where public swimming pools are scarce and ocean safety is critical for children.
The new school program began amid larger statewide water safety efforts that include production in January of a Hawai ‘i Water Safety Plan by the Hawai ‘i Water Safety Coalition.
DeSoto estimated that 30 % of Hawaii children can’t swim, and said drowning is the leading cause of death among kids in the state, where residents make up 45 % of all drownings.
“It’s amazing that we’re going to get an opportunity to give each child five individual lessons in the ocean with our partner Leahi Swim School doing all the instruction, ” DeSoto said. “It’s just super important for our community to know how to swim.”
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