North Shore junior lifeguarding program sees high tide of students

NORTH SHORE—Just days after successfully reviving the popular local junior lifeguard program, the North Shore Lifeguard Association signed up over 150 teenagers for the summer’s five-day long sessions. Over $2000 in donations were received at the sign-up booth in front of Foodland as parents and their teens arrived, filling up almost all available spaces in just five hours.

The program, which usually provides approximately 32 classes throughout the four Oahu lifeguard districts when full funding is available, had been reduced to a total of eight sessions at just one site for the 2010 season at Ala Moana Beach Park. The popular ocean awareness program had been brought back to life and expanded last week thanks to North Shore lifeguards and community members.

“It’s a really great program and very useful for growing up in Hawaii,” said Lynn Palago, mother of a 2009 participant. “They exercise, learn about sun safety, and just have fun and surf too. The classes filling up this fast shows what an important program it is to the kids,” she added.

With a lack of both funding and available lifeguards to fill the seats in the towers while the classes were taught, North Shore lifeguards volunteered to teach the five day long sessions on their free time. Community members donated money and musician Jack Johnson donated $10,000 to the association to compensate the lifeguards for their time. According to one lifeguard, popular North Shore restaurant Haleiwa Joe’s also donated money while Quicksilver took care of the liability insurance.

Instructed by veteran beach lifeguards, the North Shore Junior Lifeguard Program is designed to increase self-confidence, teach life saving techniques, as well as all-around ocean awareness and safety in teenagers ages 13 to 17. Ocean experts and ocean sport world champions in surfing, body boarding, and body surfing are often guest lecturers, sharing their experiences with the children.

“I’m excited to do junior lifeguarding,” said Arlo, a Sunset Beach Elementary graduate. “All my friends were in it last year and said it’s fun, but some hard work too. The long runs don’t sound good but everything else sounds cool and I heard we get to surf and try out the jet skis.”

The participants go through physical training including warm-ups, stretching, and running, as well as ocean skills training including paddling rescue boards, using rescue tubes, and surfboards. An area titled “classroom skills” is another aspect of the program which includes skin cancer awareness, eye safety, and drug and alcohol prevention. At the end of the five days, students receive a certificate of course completion.

For more information:
Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division
3823 Leahi Avenue
Honolulu, Hi 96815
(808) 922-3888
[email protected]