HIMB Splash 2026

February 24-26, 2026

Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Let us introduce you to the science and scientists of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. Get hands on with the latest research on coastal resilience, coral reef restoration, and marine megafauna.

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Featured Events

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Dive in!

Aloha Friends of the Ocean,

Get ready to dive deep! HIMB Splash 2026 is just around the corner, and we are eager to share the breakthroughs currently coming out of Moku o Loʻe.

This is the year you see science in action. We’re not just studying the sea; we’re decoding it. In recent months, our researchers have analyzed never-before-heard monk seal vocalizations; designed a reef structure that boosts coral survival fifty-fold; quantified what pilot whales need to survive their deep-diving lifestyle; and demonstrated how Indigenous fishing practices defend against climate change. This work delivers real-world impact, and accelerates our understanding of the tiniest microbe to the largest mammal.

Join us this February for a candid look at the research that moves the needle on ocean health.

We look forward to connecting with you.

Best regards,

Megan Donahue
HIMB Director

Featured Events

A small boat with three researchers approaching a brown coral reef in turquoise waters.

A hatched structure surrounded by water and green Hawaiian mountains.

Two dolphins swimming side by side in bright blue waters.

A young woman moulding 3D coral reef in a lab setting.

A marine researcher diving with pink flippers over a bed of brown coral reef.

A group of colourful fish swimming in shallow mater with mud and rocks on the sea floor.

All Aboard! Remotely Sensing Marine Landscapes at Sea

Boarding HIMBʻs vessel, Ka Noelo Kai, we will use Kāneʻohe Bay as our classroom to explore the role of emerging technologies like satellites, drones, and micro-cameras in understanding changing marine landscapes and informing marine management. The experience will also include a snorkeling session in Kāneʻohe Bay to observe these ecosystems firsthand!

You Steward what You Eat: Indigenous Aquaculture towards Food Sovereignty

Join researchers at Paepae o Heʻeia, an 800-year-old Hawaiian fishpond, where we will join our community partners to explore how Indigenous stewardship informs management practices of Hawaiʻi’s fishes towards food sovereignty.

Marine Mammal Immersion

The Marine Mammal Research Program plays a critical role in marine mammal research, education, and management, and in ensuring these majestic mammals continue to thrive in Hawaii's waters — and beyond. Join researchers from HIMB's Marine Mammal Research Program and our trusted research partners, Dolphin Quest, to learn about advances in researching dolphins, whales, and Hawaiian monk seals, and to directly engage with dolphins in the water.

Nature-Inspired Solutions for Coral Reef Conservation

Join researchers from HIMB’s Geometric Ecology Lab in a unique exploration of the relationship between 3D habitats and the organisms that call them home. Using a ceramic 3D printer and laser scanning techniques, participants will reverse engineer shapes from nature. Their nature-inspired creations will be fired and mailed home to participants.

Snorkel & Restore with Resilience: Corals & Changing Seas

Put on your fins and join us to outplant corals in Kāneʻohe Bay! As the ocean experiences unprecedented change, HIMB’s Coral Resilience Lab (CRL) aims to understand the causes and consequences of variation in coral traits and how timely management actions can ensure coral reefs persist.

From Mud to Makai: Explore and Restore Nearshore Reef-Fishes

Come snorkel with the Fish Resilience Lab to deploy remote sensors and cameras across nearshore coral reefs. The Fish Resilience lab are leaders in determining environmental threshold trigger values for reef productivity. We will visit reefs exposed to differing gradients of sediment runoff characteristic for Hawaiʻi (including reefs typically teeming with fish and turtles, and occasional mantas) and witness first-hand the amazing potential of our research to provide communities and government stakeholders with effective and scalable means to enhance fish abundance and resilience on nearshore reefs.

Schedule of Events

Explore everything you can do during Splash Week 2025. All times in HST.

Director's Council · Tuesday, Feb. 25

Day 1 · Wednesday, Feb. 26

Day 2 · Thursday, Feb. 27

02:00 pm - 04:00 pm

Hinalea Conference Room on HIMB

Meeting

Director’s Council Onsite Meeting

04:30 pm - 06:30 pm

HIMB Lord House

Social Gathering

Cocktails and Casual Reception

8:30 am

He'eia Pier

Transportation

Board the Boat at He'eia Pier

9:30 am - 11:00 am

HIMB Beach House

Session

Welcome to Moku o Lo’e

09:30 am - 12:00 pm

HIMB

Tour

HIMB Lab Tours

Pop in to HIMBʻs labs to experience our latest tools & research.

Shark Lab:
See captive sharks in behavioral experiments, video clips of shark field research, and electronic tracking devices.

Marine Ecological Theory Lab:
Learn how researchers tackle marine ecosystem puzzles using mathematics, exploring how ocean life changes over time.

Fish Resilience Lab:
Learn how we determine fish and octopus tolerance to changing conditions, and use innovative techniques to ask these animals what conditions they prefer. Expect hands-on interaction with our resident octopus while we share our latest data.

Marine Mammal Research Program:
We'll share our latest research, data, and the techniques we use to study dolphins, whales and Hawaiian monk seals.

Coral Resilience Laboratory:
CRL aims to understand the causes and consequences of variation in coral traits and how timely management actions can ensure coral reefs persist. View our coral nursery, where thermally resilient coral are reared.

12:00 pm - 01:15 pm

Beach House

Meal

Lunch & Reflection with HIMB Faculty

01:15 pm - 03:45 pm

HIMB nearshore reefs

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 1: From Mud to Makai: Explore and Restore Nearshore Reef-Fishes

01:15 pm - 03:45 pm

Paepae o Heʻeia fishpond

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 2: You Steward What You Eat: Indigenous Aquaculture Towards Food Sovereignty

Join researchers from Heʻeia NERR at Paepae o Heʻeia, an 800-year-old Hawaiian fishpond, where we will join our community partners to explore how Indigenous stewardship informs management practices of Hawaiʻi’s fishes towards food sovereignty. We will walk along the kuapā, or fishpond wall, to help remove invasive species, throw a net tow to capture food for our food fish, and witness firsthand the iridescent, intricate food web supported by Indigenous aquaculture systems.

01:15 pm - 03:45 pm

Kāneʻohe Bay

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 3: All Aboard! Remote Sensing Marine Landscapes at Sea

Board HIMBʻs education vessel, Ka Noelo Kai, and join researchers from the Elizabeth Madin Lab, the KeaoaLo‘e REMS Lab, and the Center for Community Education on a guided tour of the Heʻeia ahupua'a. Using Kāneʻohe Bay as our classroom, we will explore and experience the ways emerging technologies such as satellites, drones, micro-cameras, and other remote imaging tools deepen our understanding of changing marine landscapes and guide our marine management practices and policies. The experience will also include a snorkeling session in Kāneʻohe Bay to observe these ecosystems firsthand!

01:15 pm - 03:45 pm

HIMB nearshore reefs

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 4: Snorkel & Restore with Resilience: Corals & Changing Seas

Put on your fins and join us for a visit to the in-water nursery and reef to outplant corals in Kāneʻohe Bay! As the ocean experiences unprecedented change, HIMB’s Coral Resilience Lab (CRL) aims to understand the causes and consequences of variation in coral traits and how timely conservation and management actions can ensure coral reefs persist. CRL breeds coral and selectively propagates local, thermally tolerant stocks to enhance future reef resilience, with the ultimate goal of protecting our coastlines and conserving these dynamic ecosystems.

03:45 pm - 04:15 pm

Location To Be Announced

Session

Reflection and Closing Remarks

05:00 pm - 06:00 pm

Kakoʻo ʻŌiwi Poi Mill, Kāneʻohe

Session

Graduate Student Poster Session

06:00 pm - 07:30 pm

Kakoʻo ʻŌiwi Poi Mill, Kāneʻohe

Social Gathering

Dinner with HIMB Graduate Students and Faculty

8:30 am

He'eia Pier

Transportation

Board the Boat at He'eia Pier

9:30 am - 11:00 am

HIMB Beach House

Presentation

Welcome to Moku o Lo’e

09:30 am - 12:00 pm

Geometric Ecology Lab

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 1: Nature-Inspired Solutions for Coral Reef Restoration

Labs: Geometric Ecology Lab and ToBo Lab
Point People: Josh Madin, Rob Toonen

Healthy coral reefs are more geometrically complex than unhealthy reefs. So what are the 3D features that help corals grow? Participants will experience the latest approaches of coral reef restoration. We will use 3D scanning to reverse engineer the nooks and crannies coral babies prefer, then recreate those idyllic recruitment conditions using ceramic 3D printing. We’ll next micro-fragment coral colonies into the shapes and sizes corals need for optimal growth. Participants will receive updates and images after Splash Week concludes to continue to track the progress of their restored reefs!

09:30 am - 12:00 pm

Dolphin Quest, Honolulu

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 2: Marine Mammal Immersion

HIMBʻs Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) plays a critical role in the research, education, and management of marine mammals, and is devoted to ensuring these majestic mammals continue to thrive in Hawaii's waters — and beyond. For this unique experience, we have partnered with our trusted research partners, Dolphin Quest. HIMB researchers will share the latest techniques MMRP uses to study dolphins, whales, and Hawaiian monk seals, followed by an unforgettable opportunity for guests to engage directly with dolphins in the water.

09:30 am - 12:00 pm

Heʻeia watershed

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 3: Laulima Day: Community Biocultural Restoration

HIMBʻs research extends from Mauka to Makai (from the mountains to the sea). Join our researchers in the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) to participate in a “Laulima Day” volunteer opportunity, where we gather with our partners in a stunning Heʻeia watershed to lend “many hands” toward a community-based restoration effort. Prepare to get muddy, work with your hands and your heart, forge new friendships, and understand what it means to mālama ʻāina.

09:30 am - 12:00 pm

Kāneʻohe Bay

Choice Experience

Experiential Learning Tour 4: All Aboard! Unraveling the Magic of Marine Microbes

Board HIMBʻs education vessel, Ka Noelo Kai, and join researchers from the Rappé Laboratory for Aquatic Microbial Ecology, the KeaoaLo‘e REMS Lab, and the Center for Community Education on a guided tour of the Heʻeia ahupua'a. Using Kāneʻohe Bay as our classroom, we will explore the extraordinary role of microbes in the marine environment. Your research guides are experts on the diversity (they regularly identify new species!), evolutionary history, ecology, and physiology of microbes that inhabit seawater, coastal reef environments, and below the seafloor of the deep ocean. Join a hands-on journey to understand these lesser studied- and vitally important-marine lifeforms.

12:00 pm - 01:00 pm

HIMB Beach House

Meal

Lunch & Reflection with HIMB Faculty

01:00 pm - 02:00 pm

Pauley Classroom

Presentation

Highlighting Graduate Student Research

02:00 pm - 03:30 pm

HIMB

Tour

Malama ʻĀina Island Tour: Stewarding the Future

Join Kawika Winter, Director of Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and Principal Investigator of HIMBʻs newly drafted Mālama‘Āina Plan, as well as Co-PI and landscape architect, Phoebe White, as they share a collaborative vision for pono stewardship of Moku o Lo‘e. Situated within a framework of Indigenous stewardship, the Mālama ‘Āina Plan uses knowledge and wisdom developed by elder councils (‘Aha Kiole) in ancient Hawai‘i to conceptualize contemporary adaptation strategies to address issues of conservation, sustainability, and climate resilience. The Mālama ‘Āina Plan positions Moku o Lo‘e as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning within Heʻeia, and includes preliminary recommendations for climate change adaptation strategies and stewardship practices. This project aligns with UHM’s Strategic Plan while providing a template of biocultural stewardship for other UH Organized Research Units and beyond.

03:30 pm - 04:00 pm

HIMB Beach House

Session

Reflection and Closing Remarks

Location

Join us at HIMB on Moku o Loʻe

Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
46-007 Lilipuna Rd
Kāneʻohe, HI, 96744

A birds eye view of an academic institution located on a Hawaiian island, including multiple buildings with solar panels, a boating dock, and vibrant trees and waters.

A man wearing a teal top, sunglasses and a hat steering a small boat towards an island in Hawai'i.

Splash Week Parking and Transportation

Parking & Transport for Feb 25 only

Members of the HIMB Directorʻs Council should park in the designated HIMB parking spots at Windward Community College in time to ride the 1:30 p.m. van shuttle to Lilipuna Pier, where a shuttle boat will transport you onsite to Moku o Loʻe. Please collect a parking placard from the shuttle van driver to leave your car at WCC for the duration of your time at HIMB.

1:30 pm - Shuttle from WCC
2:00 pm - Director’s Council Onsite Meeting
4:15 pm - Shuttle to Lord House for Evening Reception
4:30 pm - Evening Reception at Lord House for Director’s Council and Guests
7:30 pm - Shuttle from Lord House to WCC

Windward Community College
45-720 Keaahala Rd
Kāneʻohe, HI 96744

See on Google Maps

Parking & Transport for Feb 26 & 27

On the mornings of February 26 & 27, our boat to Moku o Loʻe, where HIMB is located, will depart Heʻeia Small Boat Harbor at 8:30 a.m. Please plan to arrive at the harbor not later than 8:15 a.m. You may park and leave your vehicle in the harbor parking lot for the duration of the day. Please ensure you are parked in a designated parking space. Our boat will leave Moku o Loʻe at the conclusion of daily programming at 4:15 p.m. on February 26 & 27. Shuttle boats will be available throughout the day, if you need to depart the island earlier.

Heʻeia Small Boat Harbor
46-499 Kamehameha Highway
Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi 96744

Open on Google Maps

HIMB Splash 2026

Dive in!

Featured Events

All Aboard! Remotely Sensing Marine Landscapes at Sea

You Steward what You Eat: Indigenous Aquaculture towards Food Sovereignty

Marine Mammal Immersion

Nature-Inspired Solutions for Coral Reef Conservation

Snorkel & Restore with Resilience: Corals & Changing Seas

From Mud to Makai: Explore and Restore Nearshore Reef-Fishes

Schedule of Events

Director’s Council Onsite Meeting

Expand

Cocktails and Casual Reception

Expand

Board the Boat at He'eia Pier

Expand

Welcome to Moku o Lo’e

Expand

HIMB Lab Tours

Expand

Lunch & Reflection with HIMB Faculty

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 1: From Mud to Makai: Explore and Restore Nearshore Reef-Fishes

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 2: You Steward What You Eat: Indigenous Aquaculture Towards Food Sovereignty

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 3: All Aboard! Remote Sensing Marine Landscapes at Sea

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 4: Snorkel & Restore with Resilience: Corals & Changing Seas

Expand

Reflection and Closing Remarks

Expand

Graduate Student Poster Session

Expand

Dinner with HIMB Graduate Students and Faculty

Expand

Board the Boat at He'eia Pier

Expand

Welcome to Moku o Lo’e

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 1: Nature-Inspired Solutions for Coral Reef Restoration

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 2: Marine Mammal Immersion

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 3: Laulima Day: Community Biocultural Restoration

Expand

Experiential Learning Tour 4: All Aboard! Unraveling the Magic of Marine Microbes

Expand

Lunch & Reflection with HIMB Faculty

Expand

Highlighting Graduate Student Research

Expand

Malama ʻĀina Island Tour: Stewarding the Future

Expand

Reflection and Closing Remarks

Expand

Join us at HIMB on Moku o Loʻe

Splash Week Parking and Transportation

Parking & Transport for Feb 25 only

Expand

Parking & Transport for Feb 26 & 27

Expand

Parking for Evening Event on Feb 26

Expand

Splash Week FAQ

How do I register for Splash Day 2025?

Is local accommodation available?

Am I able to attend only some of the scheduled events?

I’m excited to get in the water! Can I bring my own snorkel gear?

I’m not comfortable getting in the water. Are there programming options for me?

Please RSVP. We can’t wait to see you.