Two female lifeguards guard a North Shore beach, a first for Honolulu Ocean Safety

Honolulu Ocean Safety for the first time in more than a century assigned two women to guard a North Shore beach together Sunday.

Kaiulani Bowers, a lifeguard veteran of 12 years, and two-year veteran and big-wave surfer Maddie Anzivino guarded Waimea Bay, where crowds gathered for Mother’s Day.

Ocean Safety Chief John Titchen said the department has about 240 lifeguards, and only about seven of them are women. “The North Shore even in May is busy, and so what a testament to the caliber of lifeguard that we attract and the caliber of the women that we have that can work a beach like Waimea Bay,” Titchen said. “I couldn’t be prouder. I hope we see many more days like this.”

Bowers said there were few female lifeguards when she became a junior lifeguard at age 12.

“When I was a junior lifeguard, it was pretty much all boys, maybe one other girl, and guys were always winning all the events and in the front. Now there’s more girls in the program, and the girls are actually beating all the time,” Bowers said. “It’s great to see a little shift.”