Volunteers for the Na Kama Kai nonprofit organization prepare for a day of ocean safety education by laying out stand-up paddle boards at Poka’i Bay Beach Park on the Waianae coast on Saturday, April 14.

Papua DeSoto, 5, attaches a fin to a paddle board in preparation for the ocean clinic. The clinics are held monthly around Oahu to teach safety and stewardship to young people ages 2-18.

Participants hold hands to pule (pray) before a day of ocean activities. Part of the program’s mission is to pass on Hawaiian values so members of the next generation will grow up with a sense of how their daily lives affect the environment.

Children learn about Polynesian voyaging at one of the educational stations on the beach. Na Kama Kai’s motto is, Keiki Aloha Kai Aloha, “Beloved Child, Beloved Sea.”

Puamakamae Desoto leads other children in an activity to teach cultural Hawaiian voyaging concepts. In addition to monthly ocean clinics, the organization offers a mentorship program that guides older youths in ocean navigation, boating skills and conservation during a one-year commitment that culminates with their own community service activity.

Anthony Aurely and his son, Laiku, prepare to take a paddle board into the water during the Na Kama Kai ocean clinic.

A volunteer instructs kids on how to hold their paddles as they prepare to launch an outrigger canoe. Children are taught three main concepts based on the acronym KAI: Know your limits. Ask a lifeguard. Identify hazards.

The canoe is launched.

Kaeden Nolasco of Mililani, left, gets paddle board instruction from volunteer Kaipo Sarkissian.

Participants and volunteers paddle their boards back to shore near the end of the clinic.

Joyce Wong of Honolulu, left, and volunteer Jack Sutherland enjoy a paddle board ride. Kids are treated to group and one-on-one interactions with ocean professionals such as lifeguards, firefighters, marine scientists, Hawaiian cultural practitioners and ocean rescue instructors.