Editor's note: Be sure to check out the photo gallery below to see Sarah in action with fellow conservationists at ODA!
ODA Founder and President Kurt Lieber has an interesting story that helps introduce Sarah and why he finds her to be so special:
When I first started my tropical diving in the 1980s, I connected with a dive company on the Big Island in Kona called Dive Makai. One of the owners, Lisa, was very adept at instilling in us divers a fascination with what we were seeing underwater. I got to know every type of critter by name because of Lisa’s love of underwater wildlife. The Dive Makai boat was always full of repeat customers. I would dive with them for a week at a time, and it was a blast learning something new on every dive!
When I met Sarah Milisen, she was a dive instructor at Jack’s Diving Locker. I immediately saw that she had that same enthusiasm as Lisa, and I watched as Sarah passed this love of the oceans onto the other divers. I was immediately taken by her personality and knowledge to not just show people the underwater world but share the passion. When ODA first started partnering with Jack’s, I saw another side of that passion. Not just that she loved diving for her own enjoyment, but that she wanted to clean up the environment and do something about the problem of marine debris. We became fast friends, and I appreciate her accepting the role of ODA Chapter Leader Hawai'i Island because I don’t have to be there all the time; she knows what she’s doing and always makes sure our volunteers are safe.She’s a true leader and an excellent representative of ODA!
On a closing note: Lisa didn’t know she was educating me in a way that would impact me in later years. When she found out (years ago!) that I was deeply involved with Sea Shepherd (marine conservation organization) she was ecstatic. I’m sure Sarah, too, will inspire many people to continue stewarding the oceans throughout their lives!
Sarah's Ocean Story
As Kurt shared, on December 14, 2017 at an ODA / Jack's Diving Locker cleanup, ODA was fortunate to meet energetic, ocean lover Sarah Milisen! She is highly skilled with over 4,000 dives; has certified 400+ students; is a Blackwater Specialist and Training Coordinator; and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology.
Sarah started diving at the age of 13 in the chilly waters of the central and northern coasts of California. Her love of the oceans only grew as she got older and several years later, she began volunteering at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which eventually led her to a job as an instructor for the summer kids’ program, Underwater Explorers.
In 2021, she took part in a special opportunity – working with NOAA’s Marine Debris project, involving a 30-day mission to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to clean up a staggering 123,690 pounds of marine debris! Believe us, in the following photo, she's one of these fantastic people lounging around all the debris they hauled out:
Can you see why she’s such a great fit as our main coordinator on the Big Island?!
Not long after that huge haul, Sarah officially became our ODA Hawai’i Island Chapter Leader, and she headed up our 8th Honokohau Harbor cleanup (and all Big Island cleanups since then).
Sarah (in white hat) gives orientation and safety briefing.
Honokohau Harbor success - Crew with Catch of the DaySarah currently works as Director of Education at Kona Honu Divers (KHD) which has been our dive boat partner since July 7, 2022. The first ODA/KHD event was a talk, with Kurt giving a presentation in the Kona Honu classroom on that day (July 7th), and the first at-sea dive cleanup outing took place on July 12, 2022!
We're very fortunate to have Sarah in our ODA Family, where she shines doing what she does best and loves the most – cleaning the oceans, inspiring others to join in, and guiding them through the adventure!
Please enjoy our Q&A interview with Sarah
Q: What drew your attention to the ocean and when?
A: My dad was a scuba diver, and we lived near the ocean. I couldn't be persuaded out of a pool, and I loved visiting the beach. My parents took us on vacation to Hawaii when I was 10, and I was an avid snorkeler at that point.
Q: What are your favorite ODA expeditions?
A: My favorite events are when I feel we really make an impact. It could be the Honokohau harbor when we pull up tires and toxic batteries, or when we go to dive sites down south on targeted missions to collect 10,000ft of line in a dive or two. Whenever there is substantial impact - those are my favorite events.
Q: Any funny stories to share?
A: I always enjoy it when people find ways to reuse our findings. When people find items they’re especially proud of and want to take their prized items home, I love it!
Q: Why do you like volunteering with ODA?
A: ODA brings an obvious passion. The nonprofit isn't large, operations are done through volunteers and their drive, and their need to help the community. It's a beautiful thing. ODA isn't promoting themselves – giving away more "freebies" people don't need – they aren't squandering money going to big events – ODA participants (even the founder!) just keep the work going and keep giving results. A humble nonprofit is a hard thing to find, and ODA is absolutely that.
Q: Your husband Jeff also volunteers with ODA. Can you talk about the positives of volunteering together? Did one or the other start first with ODA or did you both “dive in” at the same time?
A: My husband is my helpful muscles often, when he knows I need some strong hitters at our events. I started doing ODA harbor cleanups at Honokohau, as an organizer. He chose to dive on one of the first cleanups and proved to be incredibly efficient at pulling up the heavy, large and cumbersome items that others may not feel comfortable lifting. He knows he's very valuable as a waterman - so I often ask him to attend those large haul events.
Recently, he came upon some free time and had REALLY been dedicating his time to ODA. He has planned a massive tire removal and mapping project in Kailua Bay that marked a spot with 68 tires. We know there are more areas. He wants to get them all! I absolutely love him for his passion and his helpful nature.
Q: Aside from diving with ODA, where else do you like to dive and why?
A: I love all types of dives. Chilly California waters, abundant warm waters, and challenging locations as well. I love to dive anywhere I can use my skills – whether it's finding tiny nudibranchs or cutting and bagging thousands of feet of fishing line, I just purely love being underwater – which is why I fight so much to protect the underwater world.
ODA would like to thank Sarah for her passion for the ocean and for all the hard work and efforts she invests in making a debris-free sea!
If you’d like to “be like Sarah,” then please join our ODA Ocean Cleanup Family by either volunteering on a cleanup or donating to make these vital efforts possible! We thank you for your care for our shared ocean waters!
