Reef Guardians Hawaii opens summer reef camps for Kauai youth

Reef Guardians Hawaii is still taking registrations for its next Anini Beach Reef Camp, a three-day program that mixes snorkeling with marine science, art and ocean safety for Kauai keiki ages 8 to 13. The June 22-24 session is followed by camps July 13-15, July 20-22 and July 27-29, all running from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with snorkel gear provided.

The camp is designed for children who have completed Grade 2 and can swim and enjoy snorkeling. Reef Guardians lists the full cost at $195 for the three-day program, and says half-price scholarships and full fee waivers are available through grants and donations. Families can request help confidentially, and the organization says high school students may also enroll as interns.

Reef Camp is built around hands-on learning, not just recreation. Reef Guardians says the program is staffed by professional marine educators and skilled volunteers in and out of the water, giving campers a chance to snorkel, make art, play games and record field notes as young scientists. The goal is to help children become more observant and more connected to the relationship between the reef, the land and the ocean.

That matters on Kauai, where reef health, ocean conditions and access to safe outdoor learning shape daily life. Reef Guardians says the program has reached thousands of local youth over the past decade, and a 2023 account said the group had taken more than 500 kids over five years to see yellow antler corals growing about 100 yards offshore from the Anini Beach boat ramp. The organization also runs ocean-based camps during school breaks at Anini Beach on the North Shore and Poipū Beach Park on the South Shore during winter break.

Reef Guardians says its work extends beyond camp programming into reef protection through education, community science, advocacy and environmental monitoring. Its executive director, Robin Mazor, is tied to the discovery of a hawksbill turtle nicknamed Ms. Mermaid, which the group says was the 43rd honuea reported in Kauai waters since 1998. For families looking for a local summer option rooted in science and water safety, the remaining Anini Beach sessions offer a direct way to get keiki into the ocean and into the reef conversation now.