Palekana Aquatics Academy

What We Do

Palekana Aquatics Academy provides and supports water safety education that elevates competence in aquatics and enables individuals of all ages to more safely interact in, on, and around aquatic environments. Our primary focus is providing water safety and swim skill instruction to elementary school students during school hours, eliminating barriers related to cost, transportation, and access.

Who We Are

Palekana Aquatics Academy (PAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization dedicated to reducing drownings and other aquatic injuries in Hawaiʻi. Our mission is to provide and support water safety education that elevates competence in aquatics and enables individuals to more safely interact with aquatic environments. We believe that learning water safety, swimming, and other aquatic skills not only has a positive impact on an individual’s quality of life, it also benefits the community as a whole by reducing the risk of fatal and non-fatal drownings.

Our long term vision is to universally equip all elementary-aged children in Hawaiʻi with basic swimming and water safety skills, and our initial and most urgent focus is on communities with socioeconomic disparities. We firmly believes that the most effective way to ensure equitable access and reach the broadest number of children is to provide water safety education during school hours. Our Elementary School Aquatic Safety Education Program provides water safety and swimming skill instruction at no cost to students or parents, enabling children to learn vital safety skills regardless of their physical condition or their cultural, social, or economic circumstances.

Cause Areas

Keiki, Health & Wellness, Education & Training