Surfing legend Tamayo Perry has died after being attacked by a shark off the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
Perry, who starred in the fourth installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, was attacked near Goat Island on Sunday and died at the age of 49.
He was found missing an arm and a leg by a local surfer off Malaekahana Beach on Oahu’s North Shore. Stub Magazine report.
Honolulu emergency services said the horrific incident was reported by a passerby who spotted a man suffering from a shark bite.
The incident happened just before 1pm local time while Perry was taking a surf break between lifeguard duties.
Emergency responders carried Perry to shore at Malaekahana Beach, where paramedics attempted to resuscitate him.
But Perry, a Marine Safety Agency lifeguard and surfing instructor, was pronounced dead minutes later, authorities said.
Marine safety officials have posted a shark watch in the area following the deadly attack.
“He’s well known on the North Shore. He’s a world-renowned professional surfer,” said Kurt Lager, acting director of Honolulu’s Ocean Safety Bureau.
“Mr. Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else even more,” he said, adding that Perry “was a lifeguard that everyone loved.”
“Tamayo was a legendary sailor and highly respected,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who called Perry’s death a “tragic loss.”
Perry, who was working as a lifeguard on the North Shore at the time of his death, began his career in ocean safety in 2016.
Prior to that, Perry had appeared in a string of blockbuster films, including the 2002 film Blue Crush, Lost, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Hawaii Five-0.
He also appeared in the 2003 film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.
Born in Hawaii in 1975, he started surfing at age 12 and quickly gained a reputation as “the promising local kid who had to borrow a surfboard because he had no sponsors.” From the Surfing Encyclopedia.
“By 1997, this lanky goofy footer had mastered a tube riding style that combined traits from his favorite old-school Pipeline surfers, Gerry Lopez and Tom Carroll.”
Two years later, Perry won the Pipeline Masters, an annual surfing tournament held on the island of Oahu.
In 2005, he was widely recognized as one of the most prominent surfers in the region.
Perry’s death is the second fatal shark attack on Oahu this month.
The surfer-turned-actor is survived by his wife, Emilia;
