2.14.26: Jamie McMahan, a leading researcher whose work focuses on how people experience and survive rip currents in real-world ocean conditions.

Jamie is a professor of oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His research has helped reshape how scientists, lifeguards, and safety professionals understand rip currents not just as physical ocean processes, but as human survival events.

With coastal drowning remaining a critical issue worldwide and here in Hawaiʻi this conversation is especially timely.

We explore what research tells us about how rip currents actually work, why traditional safety messaging sometimes fails in real conditions, and how new, evidence-based approaches can better help both locals and visitors respond effectively when they find themselves caught in a rip current.

Rip-current science is solid. The challenge is human behavior and communication.Effective prevention depends on clear, location-specific messaging, early education, visual demonstration, and close collaboration between scientists and lifeguards.

He has volunteered to meet with guards online to discuss all the technical questions they may have about rip currents.

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July 18, 2025 Extra Interview: Margaret talks in studio with Ian Couch, the water safety expert for Worldʻs Toughest Row. The Toughest Row folks were on Kauaʻi receiving teams of rowers who traveled from Monterey, CA to Hanalei Bay. Ian talks about making safety a culture and how athletes take on this grueling and amazing trip.

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September 16, 2025 John Kaleimakaliʻi Thornton Clarke, who happens to be the grand nephew of Duke Kahanamoku, is an accomplished waterman in his own right and a researcher with the Hawaii Department of Health. He epically swam around Maui to bring awareness to the fact that native Hawaiians are drowning at a higher rate than other population groups.

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August 15, 2025 Niki Roderick is the founder and CEO of Free Dive Safe and is the NZ record holder for free diving. A dedicated ocean woman, she is also a strong advocate for water safety in schools. But not only for children, for adults and all ocean lovers. Her work supports free divers, paddlers, spear-fishers, boaters and more. She is currently working to get water safety as standard curriculum in Hawaii middle schools.

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Margaret invites North Shore lifeguard Chris Pico in studio to share about the importance of water safety from the lifeguard’s perspective and to share about the free app Pulse Point. What’s charming is that Chris’ daughter, Harper, was in studio as well, watching her show and petting the dog and you can hear it a bit. Chris said, before we started the show, that he sought out Pulse Point on Kauaʻi for her.

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July 18, 2025 Full On-Air Show: Duane DeSoto called in to the studio. He is instrumental in the Hawaii nonprofit Nā Kama Kai, which focuses on connecting keiki to the ʻāina and the kai. Duane is working hard to promote a safe water culture among the people of Hawaii and his message is broad and applicable for all water people.

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Drasko Bogdanovic is a California State Parks ocean lifeguard, flight paramedic, educator, and the founder of The Lifeguard Project, a national storytelling and advocacy platform focused on reframing how lifeguarding and drowning prevention are understood. His work aligns closely with Hawaiʻi, widely recognized as the epicenter of water safety, where the ocean demands exceptional expertise, vigilance, and cultural awareness.

Drawing from frontline experience, Drasko approaches drowning prevention not as a series of isolated accidents, but as a predictable and preventable public health issue. Through The Lifeguard Project, he emphasizes that prevention happens long before a rescue, elevating the role of lifeguards as professional risk managers and educators, a perspective long held in Hawaiʻi.

In the interview, Drasko stressed the urgent need to modernize water safety messaging. Traditional signs and warnings alone are no longer effective, particularly in visitor-heavy destinations like Hawaiʻi. He advocates for human-centered, digital storytelling that uses authentic lifeguard voices to cut through modern noise and connect emotionally with the public.

The conversation also highlighted the importance of global collaboration, linking Hawaiʻi with water safety leaders in California, Australia, the UK, and beyond. The guiding philosophy of The Lifeguard Project, “By Lifeguards, For Life,” reflects a belief that the most effective drowning prevention strategies are shaped by those closest to the water and strengthened through shared knowledge worldwide.

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January 14, 2026. George Centeio works with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education as an Educational Specialist for Physical Education, supporting schools across the state in helping students build healthy, active lives. His work connects physical education, student well-being, and real-world safety, especially important in a place like Hawaiʻi, where water is part of everyday life.

In this conversation, we talk about how education, particularly physical education, can help keep Hawaiʻi’s keiki safer in and around the water. It’s a discussion grounded in the reality of growing up surrounded by ocean, rivers, and pools, and why water awareness is truly a life skill here.

George explains why water safety is about much more than swimming lessons. It’s about understanding conditions, recognizing risk, knowing your limits, and learning how to respond when something goes wrong. These are skills that build confidence, not fear—and when they’re taught early and reinforced over time, they can prevent tragedies.

We also explore how schools can play a meaningful role by weaving water safety into education standards and everyday learning. Physical education offers a natural place for these lessons, especially when schools partner with lifeguards, community groups, and programs like Nā Kama Kai on the west side of Oʻahu, bringing learning out of the classroom and into real environments.

The takeaway is hopeful and clear: drowning is preventable, and education is one of our strongest tools. By starting early, working together, and connecting learning to life in Hawaiʻi, we can better prepare our keiki to enjoy the water safely and create a stronger culture of water safety for everyone.

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