Film: Lifeguard Legends (United States)

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00:00:00: SOUND UP
00:00:01: Explore – The mission of explore is to champion the selfless acts of others. Explore went on a philanthropic fact-finding mission to the North Shore of Oahu to learn about the role of the lifeguard.
00:00:38: CHARLIE: If water is the elixir of life and waves are considered the most powerful energy source, then if would be safe to say that the Hawaiian Islands are one of the most powerful places on the planet. The following is Explore’s tribute to the lifeguard – the modern day sheriffs of the Wild West – guardians of the sea.
00:01:01: [GRAPHIC] Guardians of the Sea
Lifeguard Legends
00:01:08: CHARLIE: To understand the history of lifeguarding, one must start with the legendary Duke Kahanamoku, the Father of All Surfing. Duke, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha, symbolizes what all lifeguards share in common. They are the ultimate watermen.
00:01:26: [Scenes from: This Is Your Life] Well, he won the preliminary and went on to win the final and shattered the world’s record, established a new Olympic and new world’s record. And then, the King of Sweden, King Gustav, crowned him with the laurel wreath entitled to the victor of the Olympics.
00:01:40: CHARLIE: [GRAPHIC – 1912 Olympics, Stockholm, Sweden] At 22, Duke won his first gold medal and shattered the world record in the 100-meter freestyle. He would go on to represent the United States for the next twenty years and win the hearts of people all over the world with his “Aloha” spirit.
00:01:55: RALPH EDWARDS, This Is Your Life: One day, June 14, 1925, you’re surfing at Newport Beach, California, when a fishing boat, the Thelma, capsizes offshore under the battering of 25-foot waves. [GRAPHIC – Scenes from: This Is Your Life], but let’s go back to June 14, 1925, the day the Thelma capsized. Here are three of the men you actually saved that fateful day, and whom you haven’t seen since. From Riverside, California, here is Fred Hock, everyone, and Harry Olin and Edward Steed from Colton, California. (APPLAUSE) Mr. Steed, you must have thought it was all over when those waves came crashing down on you, sir.
00:02:38: MR. STEED: If Duke hadn’t have saved me, I’d still be there.
00:02:40: CHARLIE: In 1925, Duke performed the most courageous act of heroism in its time. Duke’s selfless courage also marked a milestone in the history of lifeguarding, as it was the first time a surfboard was used as an instrument of rescue.
00:02:58: CHARLIE: In 1968, Hawaii’s most beloved Ambassador of Aloha, passes on, but his spirit of selfless courage would be absorbed by another legendary Hawaiian, Eddie Aikau, famed lifeguard of Waimea Bay [GRAPHIC – Waimea Bay – Eddie Aikau].
00:03:24: CHARLIE: Surfing is a highly territorial sport and people don’t always get along, but Eddie, always a gentle soul, knew how to bring people together. His legend grew and as both surfer and guardian of the sea, not one single life was lost during Eddie’s watch at Waimea Bay.
00:04:00: CHARLIE: [GRAPHIC – COURAGE] But Eddie grew restless and needed a new challenge, one that would promote all Hawaiian ancestry.
00:04:08: [GRAPHIC – HEART]
00:04:11: CHARLIE: [GRAPHIC – March 16, 1978, Magic Island – Honolulu, Hawaii] In 1978, Eddie joined the crew of the Hokulea, a traditional sailing canoe, to honor the 2,500 voyage that Polynesians made across the Pacific. But tragedy would strike out at sea. Twelve miles off the shore of Molokai, the Hokulea took on too much water and capsized with gale force conditions. As the crew clung to the hull throughout the night, Eddie, the ultimate lifeguard could no longer stand to see his crew suffer. In an act of unheralded heroism, he set out paddling to the shores of Lanai to save his fellow crewmen. Hours later, a plane spotted the Hokulea and the crew was rescued. Eddie was never seen again, but his spirit lives on, as does his bravery and courage with the next generation of lifeguards.
00:05:47: [GRAPHIC – The road to Pipeline…]
00:05:50: RICK WILLIAMS, 27-Year North Shore Lifeguard: There’s a Northwest swell that came up overnight. It’s actually bigger – Waimea Bay right - over on this side. You can’t really see – You can just barely see the waves coming into the Bay there. I see the Tower’s already open and things are – Things are already well underway here, so.
00:06:09: CHARLIE: Rick Williams is a Chief Lifeguard at Pipeline Beach, the most deadly wave in the world. His command post is Tower 26.
00:06:22: RICK: You’ve got to be familiar with the environment. You’ve got to know the ocean. You’ve got to know the area where you’re at. You’ve got to have good equipment and you’ve got to be physically conditioned. And you’ve got to be a little crazy, too.
00:06:34: CHARLIE: And on this day, Pipeline awoke from its winter slumber. Pipe was breaking. It was going to be a busy day at the office.
00:06:56: CHARLIE: How do you rescue someone when they get pummeled in a big wave? How is it even possible? How do you even know where they are?
00:07:05: RICK: Uh, it’s, you know, it’s different every time. There’s – In the course of my career, you know, I figure that I’ve probably rescued, on the average, about 20 people a year – or 25 people a year – and that’s times twenty-five years and that’s over 500 people and I figure that half - maybe half of those people - might have washed in or gotten pushed in or made it in somehow on their own, but the other half of them would have died.
00:07:36: CHARLIE: Where Rick patrols the beach, Terry Ahue, Rick’s mentor, pioneered the art of jet-ski rescue, a crucial tool in saving lives.
00:07:49: CHARLIE: You know, one observation I made about the lifeguard here on the North Shore is it kind of reminds me of the Wild West, in terms of the, like, the Sheriff. I mean, I feel like because this is such a water culture, the lifeguard really is a figure that’s respected here.
00:08:04: TERRY AHUE, Jet-Ski Rescue Pioneer: They’re like – They’re like God on days like today. You know, they’re the guys that go around and try to warn people and try to make sure they’re safe. My first day at work, they sent me out there to work at Waimea Bay with Eddie Aikau, you know, and I walked up there, like, “Wow, that’s my hero!” you know? Like, a big, you know, Hawaiian hero, so I got to work with him for a little while and, uh, he taught me a lot.
00:08:36: TERRY: It just comes natural. I mean, we’ve been doing it for so long, so, you know, so – And a part is, too, is, is me being the old dog on the thing, is me trying to pass my knowledge on to the younger generation, you know, because when I pass away, I want to make sure they get all this knowledge from me. I don’t want to take it with me. [GRAPHIC – Abe Lerner, North Shore Lifeguard] I want to give it to them and then I want them to pass it on to their younger generation when it starts coming up, you know? So, that’s what I try to do. [GRAPHIC – Mark Dombroski, North Shore Lifeguard] I try to, like, teach all the knowledge and stuff I get, from all the mistakes I did out there in the water, all the wipeouts I took, all the, you know, all the near-drownings that I had, I pass it on. I teach it to the younger guys, you know.
00:09:20: CHARLIE: These guardians of the sea stand for values we can all learn from. They are selfless, egoless, and dedicated to improving the human condition every single day of their lives. Explore salutes you and thanks you for opening your heart to us. Aloha.
00:09:42: [GRAPHIC – SONG PLAYS – Voice of Eddie Aikau]
00:09:52: Explore
00:09:55: EDDIE: God bless you guys. I love you so much. Aloha.
00:09:59: Explore – never stop learning With the support of the Annenberg Foundation explore has made funding possible to:
Hawaiian Lifeguard Association
North Shore Lifeguard Association
Eddie Aikau Foundation

For more information:
www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/hla.html
www.northshorelifeguards.com
www.eddieaikaufoundation.org
Director & Host Charles Annenberg Weingarten Explore Producers Tom Pollak Roger Jackson Liz Marks Hawaii Producer Cynthia Ann Scrima Story Produced and Written By Cynthia Ann Scrima Directors of Photography Mike Prickett Andrew Sachs Photography Tony Harrington Editor Brian T. Meehan Post-Production Supervisor Lisa Rossiter Sound Recordist Lucretia Miller Production Assistant Leah Dawson Graphics Lachlan Westfall On-Line Services Different By Design The Post Group Colorist Randy Croonfield Re-recording Mixer Jeremy Grody Additional Stills and Footage Provided By: Hawaii State Archives Quicksilver This is Your Life footage courtesy of Ralph Edwards Productions KGMB9 – Hawaii Bill Kaiwa Prickett Films Pan-Pacific Press L.E. Edgeworth Maholo to: The Aikau Family The Eddie Aikau Foundation Donald Love The Duke Kahanamoku Foundation Mark Warren Ralph Edwards Productions Dane Kealoha Hawaiian Water Patrol Donne Dawson The State of Hawaii & The Hawaii Film Office Walea Constantinau & The Honolulu Film Office Phil Arnone Jim Fulton and Duke’s Oceanfest Peter Cole Cord International & Hana Ola Records Jeff Divine Michael Kelley and Cox Radio Hawaii Sandra Kunimoto & The Hawaii Department of Agriculture Stuart Weinstein NOAA Luella Kurkjian & Hawaii State Archives Getty Images Opper Films Honolulu Star Bulletin Moby Gratis Sony/ATV Music Publishing Turtle Bay Resort explore.org Made Possible by the Annenberg Foundation @2008 Explore Annenberg Foundation LLC
00:11:25: END OF FILM

Lifeguard Legends

The lifeguards of the North Shore of Oahu are the modern day sheriffs of the wild west. This film pays tribute to their selfless acts of heroism. A must see for all surf lovers!

: United States
Location:: Oahu, Hawaii
Date:: February 2008
Grants Awarded:: North Shore Lifeguard Association ($100,000) , Eddie Aikau Foundation ($25,000) , Hawaiian Lifeguard Association ($250,000)