A celebration of life for Ocean Safety lifeguard, professional surfer, husband and son Tamayo Perry and paddle out is unfolding this afternoon on the North Shore, where a community is gathering to say goodbye to one of their own.

Tamayo, 49, died on June 23 after he was bitten more than once by a shark while surfing during a break from his city life-guarding shift. Perry, an eight-year veteran of Ocean Safety and well-known North Shore waterman, had been surfing in the waters off Goat Island, also known as Mokuauia, at the Malaeka­hana State Recreation Area near Laie.

Services, which will begin at 3 p.m. at Sunset Beach Neighborhood Park, are open to the public. They will be followed by a traditional paddle out across the street at Pipeline. The Honolulu Fire Department is planning a flower drop over the paddle out. Hawaiian Water Patrol will join City and County lifeguards to provide water safety.

Those planning on attending the event are advised to plan for parking challenges and heavy North Shore traffic. The Perry family has asked the public not to fly drones during the memorial celebration since that would cause the flower drop to be canceled.

Acting Chief of Honolulu Ocean Safety Kurt Lager said in a statement, “We are mourning an extraordinary life lost and we want everyone who wishes to celebrate Tamayo’s life to be able to do so safely. We ask the public to be patient and respectful of the events as they unfold.”

Perry, who was born and raised on Oahu, surfed professionally for over 15 years and in 1999 won the prestigious Pipeline Master trials. He became a lifeguard for the City and County of Honolulu in 2016, and ran a Kahuku-based surf school, the Oahu Surfing Experience, with his wife, Emilia Perry, who is from Western Australia, where she competed as a professional bodyboarder.

Perry also was an actor, who according to his profile on IMDb (Internet Movie Database), had been in multiple film and TV shows including: “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Big Bounce,” “Blue Crush,” “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0.” He also appeared in ad campaigns for Nissan Xterra that aired during the NFL playoffs and the Winter Olympics, and a commercial for Coca-Cola.

Emilia Perry said in a statement, “The amount of aloha we have been shown in the days and weeks following Tamayo’s death has been tremendously comforting and healing. Myself, Tamayo’s father Tom and his two brothers will forever be grateful to all of those who were there for us and gave so much to ensure Tamayo’s celebration of life is shared with all of those who loved him.”

The program, which will include speakers, worship and a photo slideshow, will be aired online by Livestream Hawai’i starting at 2:30 p.m. at https://www.youtube.com/@livestreamhawaii/ streams.