LIHU‘E — County officials on Tuesday announced that registration for the Kaua‘i Junior Lifeguard Program will begin next Monday. The program is free and is designed to teach young people, ages 13 to 17, ocean safety and lifesaving skills. Additionally,
LIHU‘E — County officials on Tuesday announced that registration for the Kaua‘i Junior Lifeguard Program will begin next Monday.
The program is free and is designed to teach young people, ages 13 to 17, ocean safety and lifesaving skills. Additionally, it covers drug awareness, physical conditioning and competition skills, a county news release states.
To be eligible for the program, youngsters must be committed to the challenges it offers and be able to swim and run 100 yards non-stop without assistance.
Applications are available at the Kaua‘i Fire Department headquarters at the Lihu‘e Civic Center, Mo‘ikeha Building, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and at all county lifeguard towers.
Registration is limited to 50 participants per site.
According to Kalani Vierra, a junior lifeguard instructor and Ocean Safety Bureau supervisor, the week-long sessions have become very popular.
“We started with about a dozen kids in 1997,” said Vierra in the release. “It keeps growing; last year, over 225 signed up for the program.”
He attributes the strong interest in the ocean safety program to Kaua‘i’s youngsters spending a lot time at the beach from an early age and also to the fact that the Kaua‘i Junior Lifeguard team captured the state championships for the past five years.
“We’re very proud of our participants,” Vierra said. “They represent Kaua‘i well.”
There are five sites scheduled for this year’s Junior Lifeguard program: Salt Pond, June 15 to 19; Lydgate, June 15 to 19; Hanalei, June 22 to 26; Po‘ipu, June 22 to 26; and Kalapaki, July 6 to 10. The week-long sessions run Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Participants will need to bring their own lunch, sunscreen and a towel to the training daily.
Program sponsors include the County of Kaua‘i, Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association, and many generous businesses and individuals.
For more information, call the Ocean Safety Bureau at 241-4984 or 241-4980.
