Tamayo Perry, a 49-year-old North Shore lifeguard and surf instructor who also had on‑screen roles in films like Blue Crush (2002) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), tragically died Sunday during an apparent shark attack off Oahu’s North Shore, officials confirmed.
Perry, a respected Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard since July 2016, was surfing near Goat Island (also known as Malaekahana Beach) around 1 p.m. local time on June 23 when a caller reported seeing someone sustaining shark bites. Lifeguards brought his body ashore by Jet Ski, and first responders pronounced him dead at the scene; multiple bite wounds were noted.
At a press briefing, Acting Chief Kurt Lager described him as “a lifeguard loved by all” and emphasized his global reputation as a professional surfer. Mayor Rick Blangiardi echoed the sentiment, calling Perry a “legendary waterman” whose courage and dedication to public safety will never be forgotten.
Born and raised on Oahu’s east side, Perry was a stalwart of the famed Banzai Pipeline surf break. He had deep roots in big-wave surfing, winning the Pipeline Masters Trials in 1999, and surfed internationally, including at Teahupoʻo in Tahiti. Outside the surf competition world, he was also a familiar face in surf films and on television—Perry appeared not only in Blue Crush and Pirates of the Caribbean, but also in shows like Hawaii Five-0 and Lost.
Perry and his wife, Emilia—an Australian-born bodyboarder and stuntwoman—had jointly operated the Oahu Surfing Experience, sharing their love for the ocean through lessons and community outreach. Emilia expressed that while his death is devastating, he “left this world doing what he loved, where he loved to do it”.
Affectionate tributes flooded in from the global surf and film communities. World champion Kelly Slater remarked, “This one is hard to believe… You truly lived the life you loved”. His Pirates co-star Johnny Depp also posted on Instagram, calling Perry “a lovely man, with a huge heart and zest for life” and shared his condolences to Emilia.
The incident stands out as Hawaii’s first fatal shark attack in over two decades, and among only nine recorded shark-related deaths in the state over the past thirty years. Perry’s passing is a profound loss to his family, colleagues, and the ocean communities he dedicated his life to championing.
