Junior Lifeguard Training and what it means to our community

A lifetime of ocean safety

In 1991, my brother Brian Keaulana, fellow lifeguards Terry Ahue and Dennis Gouveia, and I started the world's first Personal Watercraft (PWC) Rescue Operator Program for the City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety Division. Together we developed new rescue techniques for high surf ocean rescues. Brian and I invented the Rescue Life Sled, which attaches to the back of a rescue watercraft and is used to pick up and carry patients during rescues.

I also co-authored the Rescue Watercraft Training Manuals for:

• Hawaiian Water Patrol
• Westside Water Patrol
• City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety

Over the years I have been fortunate to travel locally and internationally, introducing our new PWC (jet ski) rescue techniques to other agencies and organizations. I have also worked as a hired rescue safety professional for major events abroad, including the Quiksilver Masters surfing championships in France and Ireland, the Quiksilver G-Land Pro in Indonesia, the World Surf League in Hawaiʻi, and the Hawaiʻi film industry.

After retiring, I wanted a way to share what I had learned in my career while honoring what I learned from our kūpuna: knowledge and values that keep proving themselves through real life on the ocean.

How the foundation began

The foundation grew out of something very simple: taking care of our community.

One weekend in 2019, a friend named Carl spent the day with my family and me at Mākaha Beach. He noticed that kids from the beach kept coming by asking for something to drink, something to eat, and to use boards and fins. We would just say, "Thank you for asking," and point them to our coolers, tables and equipment.

We treat the beach kids like our own. We remind them to be aloha, to treat each other how they want to be treated, and to help keep the beach clean and leave it better than we found it.

Carl asked whether this was a normal way of life at the beach.

"Yes. This is how we take care of our keiki and our community." Many of the children who come to the beach every day do not have very much. Some come with their families, while others ride bikes, skateboard or walk to the beach on their own, sometimes bringing a younger brother or sister. They may arrive with nothing more than a towel. We let them use boogie boards and surfboards and, most importantly, we teach them how to be safe in the ocean so they can enjoy it more.

Carl then asked who pays for all the food, drinks, snacks and equipment.

We did. We did the best we could with what we had.

That conversation led Carl to suggest we start a nonprofit to help with the costs and make this support last. I agreed. The Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation was established in 2019.

Then COVID hit, and everything stopped.

Bringing Junior Lifeguard training back to the West Side

After COVID, I was excited to return to Mākaha Beach and enroll my own keiki in the City's Junior Lifeguard Program, a program I had helped start back in 1991.

But I was disappointed to learn the City was offering only one week of Junior Lifeguard training on the West Side, while other districts, including the North Shore, Windward and Town, were getting much more.

I asked why. I learned that nonprofits in those districts were helping run and support the programs.

Since I already had a nonprofit, I contacted the Chief of Ocean Safety, Kurt Lager. I asked whether we could use equipment that was sitting unused (soft top boards, fins and more) and whether the City would support us taking on more Junior Lifeguard training. They agreed.

In June 2021, the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation Junior Lifeguard Training Program began.

Since then we have kept building a program focused on ocean safety education, leadership training, community service and self responsibility.

We run Junior Lifeguard training for 6 to 8 weeks each summer, depending on the dates of the JG championships, and during fall, winter and spring school breaks.

Five years of impact

Keiki enrolled

600+

Community service hours

1,600+

Over the past five years, MMMF has:

• Enrolled more than 600 keiki from the Leeward Coast and other parts of Oʻahu
• Logged more than 1,600 hours of real community service
• Built advancement programs to train a new generation of leaders
• Helped our keiki grow ocean safety skills, leadership, teamwork, discipline and respect
• Raised young people who keep showing leadership in their communities

We are especially proud of two long time JG participants and instructors who have been recognized outside our program:

1. Kukaliʻa "Kuka" Pililaʻau reached one of her many goals by applying and becoming a C&C of Honolulu Ocean Safety Lifeguard, class of 2026.
2. Noa "Bubba" Puʻu, age 17, was named the 2025 Duke Kahanamoku Lifesaver of the Year for saving a Japanese couple caught in a strong rip current at Mākaha Beach, and for helping rescue several competitors during the 2022 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.

These honors are more than individual wins. They show what happens when keiki get steady opportunities, mentorship, training, responsibility and a safe place to learn.

Built by community support

In June 2021, MMMF received its first donation. Mahalo nui to Kuʻulei and Pumpkin Petterson of Petterson Bros Construction for supporting us from the beginning.

Valued supporters of MMMF, MAHALO!

• Adrian SilvaHui Huliʻau
• Ninia ElseyMakaʻainana Foundation
• Drew CockerDuke's Restaurant Waikīkī
• JustenHonolulu GMC Buick Cadillac
• Mike SamientoKS Kaiaʻulu Grant Program
• Donnavan MaplesRestaurant 604
• Buffalo, Momi and Brian KeaulanaHoʻo Maʻa Foundation
• Glen and Merrideth MoncataQuiksilver
• Gina and Craig Davidson47 C Stunt Inc
• Sonya and MalissaKapolei Partners
• Alicia Higa and Preston FosterʻElepaio
• Joey, Kenui, Billy and GregDa Fin
• Greg CiceroTriad Bodyboards
• Mike StewartScience Bodyboards
• Peyo Lizarazu and Eric ThorstensonTideline Swim Goggles
• Chris MullinsMultraverse.ai (technology and app hosting sponsor)
• Boy, Keli, Noa and "Nate Dawg" TimoteoSpecial thanks
• Kaiu and Nainoa LoganSpecial thanks
• Kimi and Koa ApunaSpecial thanks
• Shelly ZamborelliSpecial thanks
• Brian and JanieSpecial thanks
• Nohea, Brandy, Thor and TorrieSpecial thanks
• Maile ShimobokuroSpecial thanks

So many people have helped keep us going. Mahalo nui loa!

A note from Mel: mahalo to all our supporters for letting MMMF serve our community. If you were not recognized here, I humbly apologize. It was not my intention, and I will keep working to fix our oversight.

These supporters made it possible to buy essential equipment and run the program day to day, including:

• Program equipment: enclosed trailers, truck, rescue watercraft, Supsquatch, DJI drones, rescue boards, bodyboards, swim fins, swim goggles, buoys, anchor ropes, first aid and oxygen kits
• Daily lunches for 20 to 70+ participants
• Two 10 ft by 20 ft tents
• Tables, chairs and coolers
• Uniforms and jerseys
• Fuel and oil
• Sunscreen
• Salaries
• Insurance
• Storage
• Equipment maintenance

In 2024 we expanded with two more summer locations on the Leeward Coast. We started at Mākaha Surfing Beach and added Pokaʻi Bay and Nānākuli Flats. Our goal has always been to bring quality ocean safety education and Junior Lifeguard training right into the communities where our keiki live.

Our commitment to safety

One of the biggest differences in the MMMF Junior Lifeguard Program is our commitment to extreme safety measures. We are not just putting children in the ocean and teaching them to swim. We teach them about the environment around them, how to assess and manage risk, and how to turn an unsafe situation into a safe and enjoyable one. Sometimes that takes extreme safety measures, backed by experienced ocean safety professionals and rescue equipment.

1. 1

   Drone surveillance

   A drone check is flown before participants enter the water to assess conditions and spot hazards: brown water, dangerous conditions, foreign objects, dangerous wildlife, sharks and more.

2. 2

   PWC rescue watercraft

   A rescue watercraft is in the water whenever keiki are doing ocean activities.

3. 3

   Certified rescue watercraft operators

   Rescue watercraft operations are run by certified operators.

4. 4

   Certified Advanced Open Ocean Lifesaving Instructors

   Our keiki are supervised and taught by people with advanced ocean lifesaving training and experience.

Our philosophy is simple: we want our keiki to respect the ocean and be comfortable and confident in it, so they can truly enjoy the ocean and not fear it.

We teach them to read conditions, know their own abilities, look out for one another, and build the skills to make good decisions around the ocean.

What keiki learn

At MMMF Junior Lifeguard training, keiki learn the history of lifesaving in Hawaiʻi: from the first Waikīkī lifeguards in 1941, including Duke Kahanamoku, captain of the Waikīkī Lifeguards, to the first lifeguard ever appointed at Mākaha Beach, Buffalo "Kaloloʻokalani" Keaulana.

JG training curriculum

Every Junior Lifeguard trainee takes part in and completes each exercise.

1. House rules
2. Swim test
3. Lifeguard stamina training: running, swimming, treading water, calisthenics, burners and more
4. Rescue equipment familiarity
5. Risk assessment
6. R.R.C.C.S.S. (Recognize, Respond, Contact, Control, Signal, Save): rescue guidelines
7. S.T.D.'s (Suck, Tuck and Duck): safety and defense tactics
8. Rescue tube training, conscious and unconscious
9. Rescue board training, conscious and unconscious
10. Bodyboard rescue training, conscious and unconscious
11. Shortboard rescue training, conscious and unconscious
12. Water entry: never dive into the ocean headfirst, it's always a stride or leg entry
13. Water extrication: proper ways to take a person safely out of the ocean
14. Ocean and shoreline current patterns
15. Rescue grabs and holds
16. Break aways and push aways (defense)
17. PWC (jet ski) rescue pickups
18. CPR
19. Beach flags

Looking toward the future

The Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation is about more than teaching children to become lifeguards. It is about building people.

We want our keiki to understand that the ocean is part of who we are, and that knowledge is the key to survival. We want them to learn to:

• Respect the ocean
• Protect one another
• Serve their community
• Become leaders
• Take responsibility for their actions
• Build confidence and discipline
• Pass knowledge on to the next generation

Our hope is that keiki who come through our program become lifeguards, first responders, ocean safety professionals, community leaders, mentors, coaches and caretakers of the ocean. We are building a path from keiki to community leader.

The knowledge I received in my life was not meant to stop with me. It was given to me, I have learned more, and now it's time to share it with our youth.

The MMMF Junior Lifeguard Certificate of Completion

To graduate, each participant must:

1. Attend at least four of the five days of JG, with one day including CPR training
2. Show a good attitude and willingness to learn
3. Complete all JG exercises
4. Follow all house rules

Once every requirement is met, each participant receives a Certificate of Completion from the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation, showing they successfully finished the MMMF JG training session. Congratulations!