July 2025
In July of 2025 the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Ocean Safety, in conjunction with the Tamayo Perry Foundation, hosted over sixty kids ages 12-18 for a week of Junior Lifeguard training at Kokololio Beach Park on Oahu’s north east side.
Learning Life Saving Skills
Under the leadership of Ocean Safety personnel, participants learned CPR, First Aid, and basic ocean safety skills: ocean swimming, paddling, fitness, and rescue techniques using tubes, rescue boards, and surfboards.
A Beloved Program, Vital for Youth Safety.
The Junior Lifeguard program is one of the most beloved and vital youth programs on the island, and the Kokololio Beach Park session was conceived of as a way to provide ocean safety training to underserved kids from the nearby northeast Oahu communities of Kahuku, Laie, Hauula, Punaluu, Kahana, and Kaaawa.
A Week of Fun
The week of fun and training was held in honor of Tamayo Perry, a former professional surfer and Ocean Safety lifeguard who grew up in Hauula, a stone’s throw from Kokololio Beach Park, one of his favorite beaches on the island.
It Takes a Village
The Tamayo Perry Foundation solicited donations from various North Shore businesses including Surf ’n Sea, Surf ’n Sail, Jorge’s Cantina, Waihana Wetsuits, and the Waialua Surf Shop. Wetsuits, T-shirts, wax, deck pads, leashes, and even a surfboard were given away to kids who over the course of the week best demonstrated the values Tamayo held dear: honesty, hard work, determination, humor, loyalty, and friendship.
To All the Helping Hands and to all Our Great Sponsors, Thank you!!
Prizes were given out at the end of the week as participants were treated to a lunch provided by Duke’s Waikiki restaurant, and were honored with a special musical performance by Kawika Kahiapo and Jack Johnson.
A Great Start to a Beautiful Community Partnership
The inaugural event provided a kickoff of sorts for the partnership between The Tamayo Perry Foundation and the City and County’s Department of Ocean Safety. The partnership aims to provide various levels of ocean safety training for underserved youth throughout the islands, from basic swimming instruction to more advanced training like that provided through the Junior Guards program — all infused with the same sense of joy, gratitude, and respect for the ocean and the islands Tamayo embodied throughout his life.
Please check back regularly here for more information on upcoming Tamayo Perry Foundation programs and events!
Imua!
Sincerely,
The Tamayo Perry Foundation
