Hoʻākea Kona 2026 – La’i’opua 2020 ( HI DOE EVENT)
FreediveSafe! Hawaiʻi Brings Freediving and Spearfishing Safety Education to Hoʻākea Kona 2026
Laʻiʻopua 2020 will welcome haumāna, educators, and community members to Hoʻākea Kona 2026, an annual educational event organized by Laʻiʻopua 2020 and sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Department of Education. Rooted in Hawaiian values, ʻike kūpuna, and kuleana, Hoʻākea Kona celebrates place-based learning from mauka to makai, inspiring students to strengthen their connection to Hawaiʻi’s people, culture, and natural environment.
FreediveSafe! Hawaiʻi is honored to participate in this year’s event by providing engaging, hands-on freediving and spearfishing safety education for local students. Through interactive storytelling and practical demonstrations, participants will learn essential ocean safety skills, including buddy team safety, dry-land rescue techniques, responsible freediving practices, and how to help protect Hawaiʻi’s fragile nearshore reefs. Every student will also receive a FreediveSafe! Hawaiʻi Freediving Safety Booklet to take home and share with their ʻohana, extending important water safety education beyond the classroom.
As freediving and spearfishing have become the second leading cause of ocean drowning fatalities in Hawaiʻi, expanding access to youth water safety education has never been more important. By teaching practical rescue skills, responsible diving practices, and environmental stewardship, FreediveSafe! Hawaiʻi is helping empower the next generation of ocean users to make safer decisions both in and around the water.
Hoʻākea Kona 2026 provides a meaningful opportunity to inspire Hawaiʻi’s youth to embrace kuleana, practice safe diving habits, and become lifelong stewards of our marine environment. Together, Laʻiʻopua 2020, the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, and community partners are helping build a stronger culture of ocean safety, freediving safety, and mālama kai that will benefit Hawaiʻi’s keiki and future generations.
For more information, contact FreediveSafe! Hawaiʻi at info@freedivesafe.org.
