{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fheartbeat-narratives.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fralph-in-service-of-the-sea-qVpbc6Lx","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"Ralph: In Service of the Sea","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/20caee61-98b8-42db-bb6b-11b3e4c29658/0c900490-a27f-4518-8ff4-336188c21b2f/ralph-20mm.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"IN SERVICE OF THE SEA · On this episode, longtime Mālama Maunalua volunteer and science educator Ralph Dykes joins from Maunalua, Oʻahu where he has spent over 15 years helping restore the native marine ecosystem. A consistent presence who kayaks every day, Ralph reflects on what it means to care for a place over time and why that kind of steady, local effort matters. He shares stories from his life shaped by service, including growing up after Pearl Harbor, serving in the Navy, and teaching science for decades before dedicating his retirement to mālama ʻāina (caring for the land). This conversation, recorded from the shoreline of Paikō Beach, is a grounded look at quiet leadership and what being in service of the sea means for Hawaiʻi.\n\nEpisode Highlights\n01:05 – Meet Ralph Dykes - science educator and Mālama Maunalua volunteer\n03:01 – Life before the classroom... and what came after\n03:41 – From Navy ships to Honolulu shores\n05:35 – Teaching science, coaching students, and lessons that stuck\n09:52 – Restoring an ecosystem, one kayak trip at a time\n13:34 – Volunteering: why community matters more than ever\n17:05 – What keeps Ralph inspired after all these years\n18:23 – Advice for the next generation\n\nTo learn more about Mālama Maunalua or volunteer, please visit: https://malamamaunalua.org/\n\nPhoto Credit: Alex Awo"}