Legendary Pipe Surfer Tamayo Perry Killed In Shark Attack Off Oahu

Tamayo Perry was a dominant force at Pipeline and its South Pacific cousin, Teahupo’o. He was a dedicated public servant guarding Hawaii’s waters for locals and tourists alike. He even played a small part in Pirates of the Caribbean as an actor, among other movies. And according to friends, he did it all humbly. That beautiful life came to a tragic end on Oahu’s east side this weekend when Perry was killed in a shark attack.

Perry was reportedly surfing near Laie where county and Honolulu police and fire crews responded to a shark attack incident. Perry was at a surf spot known as Goat Island when an emergency call was made reporting someone had been injured in the water. Rescuers used a Jet Ski to recover Perry, who was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesperson told Hawaii News Now that the surfer might have suffered multiple bites. Many in the surfing community guessed it was most likely a tiger shark but there has been no confirmation on species.

The attack was reportedly gruesome in nature.

His death did not take away from the life Perry lived. He was well loved and had worked for Honolulu Ocean Safety as a North Shore lifeguard since 2016. The department was obviously devastated by the loss of one of its own.

“Tamayo Perry was a lifeguard loved by all, well-known on the North Shore, a professional surfer known world-wide,” acting Ocean Safety Chief Kurt Lager said at a news conference Sunday. “Tamayo’s personality was infectious, and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more.”

Perry was a skilled barrel rider. His prowess for finding himself deep in the tube became stuff of legend in the early 2000s (he won the Pipeline trials event in 1999). A talented waterman, he also ran a surf school with his wife Emilia – Oahu Surfing Experience.

“We all want to be the hero of our own story, one of the redeeming characteristics of humanity is our desire to follow our convictions always and without fear,” reads a GoFundMe page set up for the family. “Few of us are able to truly be that hero, Tamayo Perry was is and will be forever. He was everyone’s big brother, stern and uncompromising with an infectious and kolohe smile. He was your rescuer in time of need, your safety when all things fell apart. He was a knight forged in the fires of the North Shore in the 90’s, his faith in Christ the rock upon which he stood.”

The surf world mourned the death of Perry, whose good nature endeared him to so many. “(Just heard the) news of the passing of my great mate, neighbor and brother, Tamayo Perry,” wrote Barton Lynch. “He lives less than 50 meters from us, we see each other nearly every day and our whole family is devastated by the news and finding it hard to believe. It was only a couple weeks ago that Lion and I surfed the very spot with Tamayo and @emiliaperry and our hearts are broken for her, his family and our entire community for we will all miss his joyful, grateful and loving energy and aloha that he would always share.”

Tamayo Perry was 49 years old.

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