Kaleo Hookano, co-supervisor for the Kaua‘i Fire Department Ocean Safety Bureau, has dedicated his life to the ocean. And he gets paid to do what he loves. “Lifeguarding is more than just a job. It’s a life,” Hookano said recently.
Kaleo Hookano, co-supervisor for the Kaua‘i Fire Department Ocean Safety Bureau, has dedicated his life to the ocean.
And he gets paid to do what he loves.
“Lifeguarding is more than just a job. It’s a life,” Hookano said recently. “It’s not just saving lives. It’s the whole dynamic.” His passion is the ocean, whether it’s paddling, bodysurfing, surfing, or passing down his love of that little strip between land and sea.
And he never stops living that passion, whether getting paid or not, he said.
“I do whatever the ocean gives me,” said Hookano of what he does when not lifeguarding.
“It’s my life. I might not be onthe- clock, but the clock doesn’t stop.” And, as one would expect, the hardest part is convincing others, especially administrators, how important and rewarding his work is.
“Administrators are not water people, not ocean people. It’s hard to administrate something if you know little about it,” he added.
While, he said, lifeguarding is partly about rescuing those who need help, there’s a little bit of police officer, teacher, marine biologist, and many other professions in each good lifeguard.
“It has to be a lifetime commitment,” he said. “Lifeguards in it for the money don’t do it for long. The money” is not that good. And he’s passed down his love of the ocean and its surroundings. His son, Gad, 29, and Sanoe, 25, are both Ocean Safety officers, while his youngest, Sui Lin, 24, manages a surf wear shop. The lifelong Waimea resident, who’s been married to his wife Rae for almost 30 years, even sees his grandsons, Lokela, 6, and Kekai, 5, getting into the family business.
“They were swimming when they were two,” the proud grandfather said.
