Increased Ocean Safety & Rescue Tubes Needed Along North Kona Beaches

On Oct 14, 2013, a group of volunteers installed rescue tubes on public Hawaii beaches. Shirley De Rego set up a foundation – The Alex and Duke DeRego Foundation – to support ocean safety, and they also help support the Junior Life Guard Program.

Water safety is one of the foundation’s focuses since Shirley lost her son, Alex, who suffered a tragic ocean-related accident. Duke, her other son, suffered a traumatic brain injury when he fell off a golf cart. Shirley wants to teach kids how to do CPR in addition to teaching first aid to High School students.

Help Make Hawaii’s Beaches Safer

The Alex and Duke DeRego Foundation needs the public support to accomplish getting rescue tubes installed on some of the more dangerous beaches on the Big Island.

The beaches we went to were:

• Kahalu’u
• Magic Sands
• Honel’s
• Old Airport
• Pine Trees

Mike Varney was there, along with Cindy Stone. Diane Chavez (Hawaii Life Agent) went along to document and assist in helping other volunteers. Mike Varney had installed two life saving tubes himself as a citizen in Polulu Valley.

Those tubes recently saved a family of five who got swept out in the current. It was amazing to see how one person’s effort can – and did – save lives. Each tube costs close to $90.00, so if anyone wants to feel good about supporting their community, I would encourage them to help Shirley.