The Hawaiian Water Patrol (HWP) was founded by former
Honolulu City and County lifeguards Terry Ahue and Brian Keaulana. What started
out as a couple of guys on jet skis performing rogue water rescues, finally
became a legal entity in the mid 1990’s. This was after scores of tickets were
issued to Keaulana for launching his jet-ski. It didn’t matter that he had
saved lives while off the Hawaiian Islands.
Ahue and Keaulana realized that they should engage in
putting together a book of professional guidelines and standards. Prior to
becoming an official organization the two men purchased a couple of skis and
brought some other skilled lifeguards on board to run rescue at professional
surfing events. Soon after, they built a rescue sled for transporting surfers
and victims of water related incidents to safety. This method cut down on the
amount of time it took to safely bring someone in from a dangerous situation.
The HWP was soon hailed as the top dog of water rescue and
Hollywood approached them for stunt and safety coordination. The lifesavers
even became members of the Stunt and Screen Actors Guild and that’s when their
operation turned into a money maker!
According to a
recent piece on surfline.com, Ahue and Keaulana became certified Hollywood
stunt and safety coordinators. Technically, the group operates as “Ocean Risk
and Management”, a subcontracted private business hired for any water event,
film, or surf contest. The Hawaiian Water Patrol has come a long way since its
rogue rescue days! The crew is always learning and staying up to date with and
creating the latest rescue techniques. Like a fine wine, it gets better with
age.
Shared from the Watercraft
Journal
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