Oahu's Popular Beaches
Are Guarded by the. . .

"The battle is not to the strong alone;
it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."
-Patrick Henry

Ralph S. Goto
Ocean Safety Administrator
Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division
3823 Leahi Avenue
Honolulu, Hawai`i 96815 USA
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Telephone: +1 (808) 922-3888
Facsimile: +1 (808) 922-0411

E-mail to: "Ralph S. Goto" <lifeguards@aloha.com>

Staffing: The Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division provides ocean lifeguard, public safety rescue services principally at nineteen (19) beach parks on O`ahu - the majority of which are under the jurisdiction of the City and County of Honolulu. In 1995, for example, the division was staffed by 91 full-time Ocean Safety Officers (i.e., lifeguards). Full time staff is augmented by 90 to 100 part-time, contract hire lifeguards who work on weekends, holidays and to fill-in for staff leaves.

Leadership: The division is headed by an Ocean Safety Administrator, Mr. Ralph S. Goto, and key administrative, secretarial and clerical support personnel. In 1995, for example, of the 91 full-time Ocean Safety Officer positions: Seven (7) were Ocean Safety Captains, who serve as operations, district and training supervisors. Nine (9) were Lieutenants, who function as links between beach personnel and the division's administration.

Districts: The Island of O`ahu, which is mostly the City and County of Honolulu, is divided into four ocean safety districts, as follows:

Significant Statistics: Ocean Safety Officers perform approximately 1100 rescues annually at guarded beaches. They cover about forty-nine (49) miles of beach front and adjoining ocean aquatic areas of the one hundred ninety-eight (198) miles plus of Oahu's island coastline -- with an estimated annual beach attendance, in 1994, for example, of 17.5 million persons. Accident prevention is a key aspect of professional life guarding, in 1995, e. g., divisional Officers took 226,922 preventative actions.

Click <here> for the Table of "Lifeguard Logs: Data for O`ahu's Beach Parks." This table consists of incident data on Oahu's guarded beaches' attendance, rescues, & interventions, etc. for the period July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2000.

International Recognition: The divison's staff and services have been nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. Many of its professional personnel are world-class athletes and water persons. The division's services have been cited as a " . . . National model of excellence . . . " for providing a fully integrated, cohesive network of components designed to provide ocean safety, and accident and drowning prevention services.

Innovative Techniques: Divisional staff are recognized international leaders in technical developments associated with rescue and ocean accident prevention services:

Personal Watercraft Rescue Technique -- In recent years - since 1989, Brian Keaulana, a former Leeward District Ocean Safety Captain, and Ocean Safety Officer Terry Ahue prototyped the use of the "wave runner" (also known as a "jet ski" or a personal watercraft) as an aquatic rescue vehicle. This has proved to be a most significant development in ocean rescue techniques and has been adopted by other ocean safety services worldwide.

If you would like more information on this new rescue craft technique, please click <here>.

We have also prepared a training manual on this new rescue technique - in separate student and instructor's versions - that may be ordered at cost + shipping. Please click here for additional information on these manuals. To order these manuals, please click here.

Ocean and Beach Safety Signs -- The beach signs developed and copyrighted by the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association in cooperation with the division, and used locally in Hawai`i have been adopted and emulated in other areas of the world. Ralph S. Goto, division Ocean Safety Administrator, is chair of the committee of the United States Lifesaving Association which has the responsibility to recommend national standards for beach and ocean signage. Additionally, in his former capacity as President of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, has opened communications with ANSI - the American National Standards Institute on establishing relevant beach and ocean safety signage.

We are continue to seek comments on suggested improvements to ocean and beach safety signs. Please click <here> if you want more information on our signs, or would like more information on how to comment.)

Budget: The division has an annual budget of more than $4 million US.

Annual Report: If you would like to review a representative Annual Report of the Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division, please click <here>.

HERE ARE SOME
BASIC OCEAN SAFETY TIPS:

• Swim in Lifeguarded Areas
• Never Swim Alone
• Don't Dive Into Unknown Water or Into Shallow Breaking Waves
• Ask a Lifeguard About Beach and Surf Conditions Before Swimming
• If You Are Unable to Swim Out of a Strong Current, Signal for Help
• Rely on Your Swimming Ability Rather Than a Flotation Device
• Look For, Read and Obey All Beach Safety Signs and Symbols
• If In Doubt, Just Stay Out!

And, just when you thought it was safe to read on . . .

Click here for telephone numbers you can call to report a sighting of large aggressive sharks (more than eight feet long) in Hawai'i.

See several shark species safely, live, at Honolulu's Waikiki Aquarium !

The aquarium is also just a great place to visit to see and learn about Hawai`i and the Pacific Basin's ocean environment, indigenous marine organisms, reefs and coral, seals, and efforts to save and protect them.

Return to the Hale (Home) Aloha Page. You can also use the following links to continue your beach and ocean tour of Oahu's North Shore, South Shore, East Shore, or West Shore.

Or, you can go to the Beach Directory for a listing of all the beaches covered in these pages.

Suggestions, comments and recommendations are welcomed. These pages are a project of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, a not for profit, professional association of Hawai'i's lifeguards devoted to the advancement of lifesaving services and public education on beach and ocean safety.

Webmaster: This page is maintained by J. B. Lee. You can reach me by e-mail at: jblee@aloha.com. Last modified: 20-Jul-2005 02:27 PM HST

Aloha . . . e malama i ke kai!