‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Actor, Lifeguard Tamayo Perry Dies in Shark Attack: Reports

‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor and lifeguard Tamayo Perry has died at the age of 49 after an apparent shark attack, reports say.

The attack happened Sunday afternoon off the island of Oahu, Hawaii, authorities told The Associated Press and CNN.

The Honolulu Ocean Safety department and other responders arrived on Oahu’s north shore to find Perry, an ocean safety lifeguard, after a call came in about a man in the water who appeared to be fatally injured by a shark attack . Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene, authorities told media.

USA TODAY has contacted Honolulu Emergency Services and Honolulu Ocean Safety for comment.

Kurt Lager, acting head of Honolulu Ocean Safety, told The Associated Press that Perry was “a lifeguard loved by all.”

“He is a professional surfer who is known worldwide,” Lager said at a news conference. “Tamayo’s personality was infectious and no matter how much people loved him, he loved everyone else more.”

Perry “exemplified courage, dedication and a deep sense of duty and served our community with unwavering dedication. His heroic actions and tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors will never be forgotten,” Hawaii Mayor Rick Blangiardi told CNN in a statement. .

Perry starred as a buccaneer in 2011’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and an episode of “Hawaii Five-0” as Spike. He also played the role of Tamayo in the 2002 film “Blue Crush” and did stunt work for the 2004 Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman film “The Big Bounce.”

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Shark attacks are considered rare. The Florida Museum, a state natural history museum, estimates the chance of being attacked by a shark at 1 in 11.5 million.

How common are shark attacks in the U.S? Take a closer look at the latest data.

There were 69 unprovoked shark bites to humans worldwide in 2023, and 36 of those were in the US. Two of the 36 were fatal: one in Hawaii, the other in California. According to the Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File report, there were 16 shark attacks in Florida, more than any other state, as well as in previous years.

In 2023 there was a 12.2% decrease in shark bites compared to 2022.

Contributions: Janet Loehrke

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tamayo Perry dead: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor, lifeguard was 49