MEXICO CITY (apro).— A legendary Honolulu surfer, lifeguard and actor who appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga died this weekend after a shark attack.
This is Tamayo Perry, whose role in the popular franchise starring Johnny Depp was a notable moment of her career on the big screen, highlighted the digital version of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
According to the trade publication, Perry’s career also includes appearances in the female-led surf film Blue Crush (Wild Waves, 2002) and the CBS series Hawaii 5-0, as well as stunts in the comedy The Big Bounce.
According to the Surfer Today portal, veteran surfer, lifeguard and actor Tamayo Perry died after being attacked by a shark near Goat Island, in Laie, Oahu (Hawaii).
Tamayo, 49, was surfing off the east coast of Oahu when the attack occurred Sunday morning, June 23.
Local lifeguards raised the alert and brought Perry’s lifeless body to shore on a jet ski. When Honolulu emergency services arrived at Malaekahana Beach, the well-known “Hawaiian freesurfer” was pronounced dead.
The body showed signs of having been bitten more than once by the ocean predator, and was missing a leg and an arm, Surfer Today reported.
From rescuer to actor
According to the surfing website, Tamayo Perry was born in 1975 and grew up on the East Side of Oahu. He started surfing at the age of 12.
By his late teens, Perry was known as an up-and-coming, laid-back local surfer who often borrowed surfboards due to lack of sponsorship.
By 1997, he had developed a unique style of barrel riding, influenced by his idols, Gerry Lopez and Tom Carroll, renowned surfers from an earlier era.
At the same time, Perry became a devout Christian.
When a surf magazine asked him to name the last two books he had read, he mentioned The Bible and “The End: 50 Reasons Why Jesus Christ Could Return Before the Year 2000.”
Perry competed in selective trials with moderate success. After being hit by a discarded surfboard he suffered a head injury that almost cost him his life, says Surfer Today.
This event led him to begin a career as a lifeguard at Honolulu Ocean Safety, where he assumed the need to share good surfing practices.
As an actor, he appeared in “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011).
Tamayo Perry is remembered, according to the specialized site, as an intrepid person with many friends, a happy individual with a big heart, a smile and a deep sense of duty.
According to the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, he was the first surfer to die on Oahu from a shark attack.
So far, the only fatal incidents between sharks and surfers in the archipelago occurred in Maui in 2004 and 2023.
