Waterman Mark Cunningham was recently inducted into the Hawaiʻi Swimming Hall of Fame. These days, the retired city lifeguard and champion body surfer spends his time in the water looking for marine debris.
His snorkel adventures have netted scores of everyday items and he turns trash into treasure, creating sculptures with a message.
He recently gave The Conversation a guided tour of his stash at his East Honolulu hideaway. It is quite the collection!
There is a collection of swim fins that has taken over a good portion of his wife’s space to park her car.
Bin after bin, shelf after shelf, even the mango tree out front can’t escape the bling. It's loaded with plastic fishing floats.
Cunningham will be at the Kōkua General Store Hawaiʻi Makers Holiday Market in Haleʻiwa on Dec. 13.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 10, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
