Lights, Camera…Water!
Brian Keaulana, son of Buffalo and a former city lifeguard, is the coordinator of water stunts for just about every Hollywood film and TV show shot in Hawaii
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Recreation. Keaulana also received the United States Lifesaving Association Medal of Valor, the highest award possible from his peers.
“The incident was captured on video and was subsequently shown nationally on I Witness Video,” recalls Goto. “Now personal watercraft are used by lifeguard agencies, fire departments and law enforcement agencies worldwide. The pioneering work of Keaulana and his fellow lifeguards laid the groundwork for others to emulate.”
Keaulana’s vision for the Jet Ski as a rescue device came when he found himself as the victim during the Eddie Aikau contest in 1987.
“I got pummeled by a giant wave and then when I came up there was another giant 30-foot wave,” recalls Keaulana. “Squiddy Sanchez came zooming into the impact zone on a stand-up ski and looked at me and said, ‘Brian, are you all right?’ I looked at him all amazed and was like, yeah.
“And he couldn’t grab me with that type of ski because he would’ve got it too. So, he zoomed out and went, and I got hit and tumbled around.”
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After the contest, Keaulana discovered that a sit-down type Jet Ski was available and took out a $5,000 loan to purchase one. But there was still a problem: Even with the sit-down type, you couldn’t rescue an unconscious person. So Keaulana attached a body-board, water hose, rigged it up and took it into the water.
Today, the Boogie Boards have evolved to more substantial and stable sleds that provide floatation and a platform that allows a rescuer to stabilize and manage the patient during a rescue.
Keaulana eventually left his lifeguarding career for the film industry, with his early work including an eight-month gig for Waterworld and five years with Baywatch.
But for his success on both the beach and the film set, Keaulana credits it to two classes he took from the Army Safety Center where he learned about risk management.
“Everybody says safety is the key word, but safety is the mission of what we try to achieve,” he explains. “Whether it’s stunt work or lifeguarding, it’s really about managing the risk. It’s about making a choice, and what we do is we take calculated choices. We don’t take chances.”
And thanks to his choices, life is a much smoother ride for beachgoers, surfers and the movie industry around the globe.
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