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Surfing legend Tamayo Perry, who once appeared in a Pirates of the Caribbean film, was killed Sunday in a shark attack while surfing in Hawaii.
Perry, 49, was found off Mālaekahana Beach on Oahu’s North Shore by local surfers with an arm and a leg missing, emergency officials said. The first emergency call came in at about 1 p.m. on Sunday. Perry’s body was brought on shore via a jet ski.
Lifeguards then brought Perry to shore by jet ski and paramedics pronounced him dead, officials said in a news conference.
Perry was born in 1975 and raised on the east side of Oahu, making his career on the North Shore both as a professional surfer and later as a lifeguard.
He started surfing at the age of 12, and by the time he was a teenager, Perry was considered the ‘quiet up-and-coming local boy who had to borrow surf boards because he had no sponsors,’ according to The Encyclopedia of Surfing.
‘By 1997, the wiry goofy-footer had gone a long way to developing a tube riding style, combining traits from Gerry Lopez and Tom Carroll, his two favorite old-school Pipeline surfers,’ it says.
Two years later, Perry would win the Pipeline Masters, and by 2005, Perry was widely regarded as one of Pipelines most prominent surfers – gaining attention for his smile and casual poise as he battled large waves.
His charisma and skills also landed him roles in the 2002 hit Blue Crush, Lost, the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Hawaii Five-0.
Perry was a “well-known North Shore waterman,” who “exemplified bravery, commitment and a deep sense of duty,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement. “His heroic actions and tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors will never be forgotten,” the mayor said.
