About Us

Hawaii’s Lifeguard & Water Safety (HLWS) was established to provide water safety tips and awareness of our Ocean. HLGWSF publishes a yearly magazine – Hawaii’s Lifeguard Water Safety & Rescue Magazine which is used to educate residents and visitors in Hawaii. The magazine includes safety tips for Hawaii waters in English and Japanese, maps of beach hazards, rescue stories, amateur surf, kayak, and paddling contest articles, and environmental tips for Hawaiian oceans and shores. In March of 2008 we applied for and were approved for 501(c)(3) status.

The purpose of our magazine and our water safety programs is fairly obvious, once you learn that as of 2004 drowning is the 5th leading cause of accidental death in Hawaii. In addition to our water safety program, our environmental projects will educate children on the importance of maintaining a sustainable eco system in our oceans, as well as the importance of properly taking care of the land for our future.

Since 2007 HLWS has organized and funded several school ocean safety programs, which were attended by hundreds of students in grades K – 6. We have also published and distributed thousands of free magazines to the public.

The ocean safety program is 1 hour consisting of a 20 minute video about safety in Hawaiian waters. This is followed by 20 minutes of beach and pool safety signs, this is done thru Q. and A., which allows the lifeguards to interact with the students and make sure every child understands the importance of water safety.

The last 20 minutes is split between demonstrating lifeguard rescue equipment and student questions to the lifeguards. At the end of the program HLWSF leaves activity books for each child and teaching manuals for each teacher in the school.

If you would like us to schedule a program for your school or  youth organization please contact us through our website or the phone. We will send a certified lifeguard to your school and supply the work books at no cost to your school or organization.

HLWS Mission Statement

1. To support the reduction of beach related injuries and accidental drowning’s by organizing and funding Ocean and Water safety programs to educate children in Hawaii.

2. To involve Hawaii children in environmental education, such as reef protection and shore erosion prevention, in order to make our children aware of the importance of maintaining a sustainable environment for the future of the Hawaiian Islands.

3. To increase public awareness on the importance of ocean and water safety by providing ocean and water safety tips through a free publication called Hawaii Life Guards Water Safety& Rescue Magazine. This magazine will also serve to guide people to use our guarded beaches and salute Hawaii Lifeguards.

Eco Tours like this one in Waianae are one of the tools we use to educate our keiki.