LIHUE — Friday was a special day for nine lifeguards from Okinawa, Japan. They each received a certificate of completion for a week of training alongside Kauai’s Ocean Safety Bureau and the cadre of lifeguards under the supervision of Ocean Safety Bureau Chief Kalani Vierra and Lt. Kleve Zarbaugh.
“Because you are here, and you have shared your experience with our people, consider Kauai your home,” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami before the Okinawa lifeguards and an audience of more than 130 students from the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School that visited the county facilities as a Career Day field trip. “As soon as you put your feet on our soil, you are part of our people, our ohana.”
The lifeguards—Marina Tanikawa became known as Pua, Kotaro Miyabayashi was Mana, Takumi Yanagihara was Pono, Makiura Soyo was known as Lei, Junichiro Ichikawa was Maka, Toma Hayakawa was Hoku, Yutaro Kijima was Kimo, and Taishi Otono, the group leader and president of the Okinawa Lifeguard Association, earned the name Nohea from Vierra, who admitted to having difficulty handling the Japanese names. These are gifts that are left with the visiting Okinawa lifeguards.
The certificate ceremony celebrated the completion of the inaugural Lifeguard Exchange Program coordinated by the County of Kauai, the Ocean Safety Bureau, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, and the Okinawa Lifeguard Association. The intensive training for a week on Kauai and a week on Oahu was set up following a visit to Okinawa by Vierra, the president of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association.
“It gives me great joy to collaborate with the Okinawa Lifesaving Association,” Vierra said. “This partnership is not just about sharing knowledge; it is about embracing our diverse cultures and learning from one another. Our shared goal is to ensure the safety of our communities while offering compassionate and professional service to those we serve. Together, we can make a meaningful difference.”
Hawaiian Lifeguard Association Executive Director Kirsten Hamstad said the initiative aims to foster connections that transcend borders through the sharing of knowledge and the chance to embrace and celebrate our diverse cultures.
“This marks a significant step in the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association” ’s ongoing efforts to enhance water safety worldwide and build stronger, more resilient communities,” she said while joining Fire Chief Michael Gibson in congratulating each lifeguard.
By working collaboratively on lifesaving techniques, lifeguards from Okinawa say that they hope to create a safer haven for the communities and the visitors who rely on them.
“We are very humbled and excited to be partnering with the Hawaiian lifeguards,” said Otono. “We want to strengthen our lifesaving skills and bring back to our community to make it into a safer place. We want to learn from the best.”
The lifeguards’ training ranged from remote cave rescues, rescue craft or Jet Ski operations, and rescue to surf rescues of conscious and unconscious patients. The visiting lifeguards worked through hands-on training sessions at key locations across Kauai. Each site offered unique challenges for ocean rescues, including rescue scenarios at remote sites like Kipu Kai Cave and Port Allen Harbor with hazardous water conditions.
On the South Shore, they focused on coastal patrol training at the Poipu and Nukumoi Towers, learning to monitor high-traffic beach areas and perform rescues in challenging surf conditions. On the Eastside, the lifeguards learned rip current rescue techniques and All-Terrain Vehicle operations to access Kealia, Lydgate, and Anahola. The team trained at Na Pali Coast, conducting rescue exercises involving caves and watercraft before concluding at Kalapaki Beach.
Following the certification of the Kauai agenda, the Okinawa lifeguards will fly to Oahu to participate in the Train-the-Trainer Rescue Craft Program, hosted by the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association and the Kaneohe Marine Base Waterfront Operations.
During this training phase, the first responders will learn the best-standardized tactics for jet ski rescues. This method pioneered in Hawaii, can be implemented in Okinawa, where there is a lack of qualified water emergency responders.
Vierra said plans are already being worked on to create a program for next year. He hopes a similar program could be set up with the Junior Lifeguard program.
