Water & Waffle Cones

DIVISION I ~ THE BIG KAHUNA

The Big Kahuna teams arrived on Friday and Saturday brimming with determination to secure victory. The competition unfolded with intense fervor as Calsense defended their title, while eight other companies vigorously vied for possession of the coveted paddle.


It brought us great joy to witness their celebration of a job well done by enjoying the delightful spread of lunch, brews, and Handel's Ice Cream.


Thank you to the following teams for participating:

  • Bitchin' Sauce
  • Channelside Water Resources (Presenting Sponsor)
  • Charles Schwab
  • Calsense (2023 winner)
  • DUAL North America
  • Gemological Institute of America
  • LEGOLAND California Resort
  • Ryan Foundation
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific

Congratulations to our 2024 Big Kahuna winner: DUAL North America! After getting second place one too many times, this team came out full force for the paddle this year.

DIVISION II ~ THE LITTLE KAHUNA

The Division II (The Little Kahuna) teams were driven to leave their mark. As they worked together, pausing for a few sips of Same Same Hard Seltzer and Athletic Brewing Beer between games, they swiftly found their rhythm.


But their efforts weren't solely focused on having a good time. In the midst of the fun, they managed to collect an impressive amount of trash and invasive weed species!


Thank you to the following teams for participating:

  • Carlsbad Education Foundation
  • Carlsbad Young Professionals
  • Dynamic Space Solutions
  • Easy Life Management
  • Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Republic Services (2023 winner)

Congratulations to our 2024 Little Kahuna winner: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream! Starting off strong with their first Lagoona Kahuna and fueled by Blue Monster ice cream this team pulled off all the stops to claim 

DIVISION III ~ THE MINI KAHUNAA

And finally, let's give a round of applause to our Division III (Mini Kahuna) participants, who truly exceeded expectations in numbers! A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the families, duos, and individuals who joined us under the sun to contribute to our community's cleanliness.


Despite their "mini" label, this group proved mighty by collecting a remarkable amount of trash and invasive weed species.


Thank you to the following teams for participating:


  • Angel Family
  • Ball, Lin
  • Cleveland, Susan
  • Gibson Family
  • Hardin Family
  • Kasky Family
  • Lange Family
  • Kawecki Family
  • Knodle Family
  • Monroe Family
  • Perretta Family
  • Sadeghi Family (2023 winner)
  • Sands Family
  • Simon, Laurie
  • Spindel, Anne
  • Wilkinson Family

Congratulations to our 2024 Mini Kahuna winner: The Baker Duo! The Baker’s proved that you don't need a big team to make a big impact. We are thankful they brought their A-game and look forward to seeing their strategies to keep the paddle next year!

Statistics

  • Solid Waste – 2.14 tons (4,320 lbs)
  • Recycle - .04 tons (80 lbs)
  • Organic Waste - .16 tons (320 lbs)



Total: 4,720 pounds (2.36 tons) of trash and invasive weed species removed from the Agua Hedionda Lagoon

Visit The Event Photo Gallery

Lagoona Kahuna Clean Up Challenge 2024 Sponsors

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed event sponsors for their invaluable contribution in making this cleanup possible. Your generous support has played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of this endeavor, allowing us to preserve and protect our natural environment for the benefit of our community and future generations. It is through your unwavering commitment and dedication that we can make a tangible difference in restoring the beauty and health of our beloved lagoon.

share this

Related Articles
November 24, 2025
There is no better way to celebrate all the spooky goodness fall brings than by kicking off the annual Haunted Corn Maze in partnership with the Carlsbad Strawberry Company . Thousands of people braved the maze each night—and most made it out alive. Thank you to everyone who stepped foot in the maze. Not only did you lead with bravery, but your admission directly supported environmental education in our community for the upcoming year. A loud, bloody, screaming thank you to every volunteer who made the maze the place to be this season. Your dedication to your roles, your top-tier jump-scare methods, and the miles you ran with a chainsaw were inspiring and unforgettable. Thank you as well to those who braved the maze in another way as volunteer security guards, assisting maze-goers and volunteer scarers whenever needed. Keeping everyone safe is our top priority, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to the Carlsbad Strawberry Company for hosting us again this year. Each season grows bigger, and each season we grow more grateful for the opportunity to work together. Lastly, thank you to everyone who donated towards supporting our volunteers for this event! In-Kind Donors: Albertson’s Black Rock Coffee Bar Chespiroz Food Truck Grand Pacific Resorts Green Cheek Beer Co Little Fox Open Water Padres Vons
Sign:
October 8, 2025
On September 23rd, we gathered at the Discovery Campus to celebrate the people who make everything we do possible — our incredible volunteers! The Taco ’bout Great Volunteers appreciation event was our way of saying a heartfelt thank you to the long-term, dedicated individuals who have poured their time, passion, and care into the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (AHLF).
Plastic water bottle on a sandy beach with driftwood and a blurry ocean view.
October 8, 2025
We are thrilled to announce a new sustainable edition to the Discovery Campus. In partnership with Plastic Beach , AHLF is determined to make an impact on the billions of single use soft plastics that end up in landfill each year. Since these types of plastics cannot be recycled in typical Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) or Recycling Centers, Plastic Beach has worked to collect and properly dispose of over 50,000 pounds of plastic since its founding. 
ALL ARTICLES