This evening, we said a hui hou to the majority of our team as they boarded the plane and departed Kuaihelani. Before sending them off, we spent the day tying up loose ends along the shorelines of Sand Island and making the most of our final working hours together.
In classic PMDP fashion, the island had one last challenge waiting for us: a massive net buried deep in the sand, discovered during the team’s final hours on island. What could have felt daunting instead became one last moment of teamwork. Everyone jumped in without hesitation, and before long, the net was unearthed, broken down, and hauled away together.
There’s something fitting about that being one of our final memories as a full team out here — tired bodies, sandy hands, laughter mixed with determination, and everyone working shoulder to shoulder toward the same purpose.
We just watched the plane disappear into the evening sky, and now the island feels noticeably quieter. For those of us remaining, the next few days will be spent wrapping up the last shoreline surveys, and packing and stowing gear before we begin our journey home in three days.
We also finally caught up on weighing all of our debris, and we are currently sitting at an incredible 49,350 pounds of marine debris removed from Kuaihelani’s shores and reefs!
We’re looking forward to finishing strong over these final days.
Thanks for following along!
Lauren and the PMDP Team