Death of Tamayo Perry: Surf legend and star of “Pirates of the Caribbean” dies at the age of 49 in shark attack

June 24, 2024

Surfer Tamayo Perry, who once appeared in a Pirates of the Caribbean film, has died after being attacked by a shark while surfing in Hawaii on Sunday afternoon.

Perry, 49, was found with multiple shark bites after the attack near Goat Island on Oahu, Honolulu emergency services said.

His body was found at 1 p.m. and brought to shore by lifeguards on a jet ski. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is believed he was surfing during a break from his job as a lifeguard when the attack happened.

Following the attack, Ocean Safety personnel issued shark warnings in the area.

Mr. Perry was born on Oahu in 1975 and started surfing at the age of 12. As a teenager, he was already considered a future star of the surfing scene.

According to the Encyclopedia of surfing: “Perry was known in his late teens as the quiet, up-and-coming local kid who had to borrow surfboards because he had no sponsors.

“By 1997, the wiry goofyfooter had come a long way, developing a tube riding style that combined features of Gerry Lopez and Tom Carroll, his two favorite old-school pipeline surfers.”

Stock photo of a surfer emerging from the ocean on the north shore of Oahu near Haleiwa (AP)

In 1999, he won the prestigious Pipeline Master exams and competed sporadically in events for the rest of his career.

He was a devout Christian and, according to Surfer magazine, said the last two books he read were the Bible and The End: 50 Reasons Jesus Christ Might Return Before the Year 2000.

Mr. Perry later starred in a number of major Hollywood blockbusters, including Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Blue Crush” (2002).

He then appeared in the television series “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0” and was seen in numerous surfing videos.

At the time of his death, he was working as a lifeguard and surf instructor at Oahu Surfing Experience.

In a biography on the Oahu Surfing Experience website, Mr. Perry said, “I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge, not only by what I have accomplished, but also by what I have suffered.”

“A few years ago I had a freak accident while surfing the Pipeline in the Extra Large size that was almost fatal. The incident only happened because someone else wasn’t paying attention.

“The lessons I learned from this event inspired my goal of teaching my students proper surfing etiquette and safety.”

He started his career in July 2016 as a lifeguard in the Ocean Safety department.

Kurt Lager, deputy chief of Honolulu Ocean Safety, said Mr Perry was “a lifeguard loved by all”.

“He’s very well known on the North Shore. He’s a world-renowned professional surfer,” Lager said at a news conference. “Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people liked him, he liked everyone else even more.”

“Tamayo was a legendary and highly respected fisherman,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, calling Perry’s death “a tragic loss.”