Heal the Bay

Hi, I’m Preston Lilly, a high school student and surfer in Malibu.

I’m prone paddleboarding 21 miles on September 20th along the Malibu and Pacific Palisades coastline to raise money and awareness for ocean cleanup and recovery after the recent wildfires. When fires burn through the hills, the ash, debris, and toxic runoff wash straight into the ocean. That pollution damages marine life, harms water quality, and leaves long-term impacts on the coast I’ve grown up loving and surfing.

I chose to donate all proceeds to Heal the Bay because they’re one of the only nonprofits in Los Angeles working specifically on cleaning up this kind of wildfire runoff and protecting our beaches. They do water quality testing, storm drain cleanups, and ocean education to help restore and protect the coastline right here in our community.

This campaign is my senior capstone project, and I’m documenting the full journey in a short film to raise awareness and inspire others to care for the ocean.

Thank you so much for supporting. Every donation helps. Sharing this means just as much.

Preston Lilly

Instagram: @21milesclean

the swim is ~22 miles across the san pedro channel (from fox landing, catalina island to palos verdes) to raise money for Heal the Bay, a local environmental nonprofit dedicated to making the coastal waters and watersheds of greater los angeles healthy and clean. accessible natural spaces and clean water are necessary for mental and physical well-being. it would be awesome if you support the cause and join me in raising money to protect california's communities and coastline!

i will be wearing a 5/4 wetsuit with a hood. a dive boat will be guiding our team across the channel. got a lovely crew on board and alongside in kayaks with warm fluids for hydration and energy. the swim will begin at night to take advantage of softer currents in the channel. yeeehaw