Meet the Real-Life Hawaiʻi Lifeguard Starring in “Rescue: HI-Surf”
The new action series depicts the lives of the brave rescuers patrolling Oʻahu’s North Shore. And for one of its stars, Kekoa Kekumano, art imitates life.
For Kekoa Kekumano, weekends were made for fun. As a middle and high school student at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, he and his friends would take TheBus from Mililani to Waimea Bay and Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore, where they would body surf and play in the shore break all day.
Like many local kids in Hawaiʻi, being in the ocean and eventually having a career that revolves around it, came naturally to Kekumano. While still in high school, he got a job working at a Waikīkī Beach stand during school breaks and on weekends. And while the gig put a chill on some of his North Shore jaunts, he saw it as step one in his then-goal of becoming a firefighter.
Step two came after graduating from high school, when Kekumano enrolled in training to become a lifeguard with the City and County of Honolulu.
“I never thought I was going to be a lifeguard,” Kekumano admits. “Growing up I always wanted to be a firefighter. But I always enjoyed the water, and I was just trying to find a way I could get into the Fire Department.” His plan was to put in a few years working in the county’s Ocean Safety Department, hoping it would eventually help him transition into the Fire Department.
Kekoa Kekumano, a former City and County of Honolulu lifeguard, now portrays one in the new television series “Rescue: HI-Surf.”
Photo: Courtesy of Fox Entertainment
By the time he was 19, Kekumano was patrolling the beaches as a professional lifeguard on the island’s south shore, and it wasn’t long before he realized he was falling in the love with the job.
“I was able to be in the ocean and water—which I love—while helping people and being around the community. It was more fulfilling to me than the paycheck and I think a lot of the guys out there can say the same,” he says.
To be a lifeguard in Hawaiʻi is no easy task. They rescue swimmers in distress and take countless preventive measures that ultimately save lives. Doing that while navigating strong currents and heavy waves requires not only exceptional swimming ability, but also a strong knowledge of ocean conditions. Kekumano had all of that.
Then, after nearly seven years as a lifeguard—mostly at Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī—Kekumano moved on. But he didn’t move far: Now, instead of being a lifeguard, he portrays one in the new television series “Rescue: HI-Surf.”
The show premiered this September, making waves as TV’s highest-rated fall drama debut in six years. The show was created by Matt Kester and is co-produced by John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment.
The series tells the stories of lifeguards on Oʻahu’s famous North Shore. Some of the rescues are even based on real events.
Photo: Courtesy of Fox Entertainment
From high-intensity rescues to personal relationships and more, the series tells the stories of lifeguards on Oʻahu’s famous North Shore, an area renowned for its beaches and monstrous waves.
While the action lures audiences, locals will recognize some of the warm connections among the show’s characters, and some of the drama, too, much of which is meant to mirror real life in real communities in Hawaiʻi. And viewers who’ve been here will recognize the beautiful backdrop of the North Shore, and if they pay close attention, they’ll recognize a few local professional surfers in cameos, too.
Kekumano stars as Laka, an audience favorite thanks to his witty humor. Much of his character’s outgoing personality and background was inspired by Kekumano himself. “People that know me, pretty much think I am Laka,” he jokes.
After all, Kester wrote details of Kekumano’s life into the script along with some of his quips and mannerisms.
In the pilot episode, Laka says that he graduated from Roosevelt High School and makes a small jab at a Punahou School alum. Being from Pauoa Valley, most of Kekumano’s family actually did go to Roosevelt. Kekumano’s tūtū (grandmother) even makes an appearance in the show.
And when it comes to depicting what it’s like working as a lifeguard, he says the show is spot on.
Kekumano says that Kester went through lifeguard-recruit training to understand the process and knowledge needed to patrol the island’s beaches, and even passed the physical test all lifeguards are required to take.
But in real life, and despite all their training, once they become lifeguards, rookie mistakes are inevitable, Kekumano says. “It’s bound to happen, because you’re new and not in the full swing of things.”
For example, he recalls new recruits calling in wrong codes on the radio. “We’d all laugh but ultimately we’re all trying to help each other out.” He admits to making a few rookie mistakes, too.
Kekumano says the tight-nit cast and crew made this project special.
Photo: Courtesy of Fox Entertainment
“It’s a true testament to how authentic the show is, because new recruits mess up all the time,” he says. “But it’s a part of the learning process.”
Kester worked closely with Kekumano and also visited the towers on the North Shore to chat with other real-life lifeguards while writing the show. “As crazy and weird as it seems, a lot of these rescues [depicted in the show] happened,” Kekumano says.
In the same way he didn’t envision becoming a lifeguard early on, he didn’t see himself becoming an actor either. “To be honest, I never thought I would be in this industry,” he says. “My mom was always the one to push me to go to auditions when I was 15 or 16 years old.”
Kekumano appeared in “Aquaman,” playing the younger version of the DC superhero. He also starred in the television series “White Lotus” and acted in “Hawaiʻi Five-0.” But of all of his projects, he says “Rescue: HI-Surf” is special.
“The crew and cast that I got to work with for the last seven months is the all-time best. You’re not going to get a better ensemble of people, and that is really what I enjoyed the most,” he says. “If this show becomes a success, it’ll be a reflection of how well the crew and cast got along with each other.”
In January, Kekumano resigned from his lifeguard job to focus on filming “Rescue: HI-Surf.” But when he’s not filming, he’s still in the ocean working.
Kekumano started his own business Kapua Waʻa Experience, leading tours of Waikīkī on an outrigger canoe. He takes visitors to surf spots off Kaimana Beach and catches waves along the way. He says the business is his passion project for now, and that he’s looking forward to seeing it grow.
New episodes of “Rescue: HI-Surf” air on Mondays on Fox; the show can also be watched on multiple streaming platforms.
