Surfing legend and “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor Tamayo Perry eerily admitted “sharks freak me out” in a social media post years before he was horrifically dismembered and killed by a shark in Hawaii this weekend.
Perry, an ocean safety lifeguard and surfing instructor, reflected on pro surfer Mick Fanning’s two near-death experiences with sharks in 2015 in a Facebook post, writing at the time, “Regardless, sharks freak me out and I’m glad the Good Lord had Mick’s back today,” the Daily Beast reported.
The 49-year-old called himself a “Jaws fan” online, and a friend told the outlet he “always alluded to the fact that he has seen them and felt their presence.”
“Can people smell sharks around??? I don’t know if it’s my imagination but I swear I can smell when they’re around,” Perry wrote in a June 2019 Facebook post.
Perry’s haunting social media posts about sharks emerged after the surfer’s tragic death on Sunday from a shark attack near Goat Island in Oahu, Hawaii.
He was found missing an arm and a leg just before 1 p.m. off Mālaekahana Beach on Oahu’s North Shore by local surfers.
Emergency services brought Perry to shore, where paramedics ultimately failed to revive him.
Ocean safety personnel put up shark warnings in the surrounding area following the fatal attack.
Perry’s death has shaken the community, where he was known and beloved as both a renowned surfer and lifeguard.
“He’s well known on the North Shore. He’s a professional surfer known worldwide,” said Kurt Lager, acting Honolulu ocean safety chief.
“Tamayo’s personality was infectious and as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more,” he said, adding that Perry was “a lifeguard loved by all.”
“Tamayo was a legendary waterman and highly respected,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said, calling Perry’s death “a tragic loss.”
“His heroic actions and tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors will never be forgotten,” Blangiardi added.
Before he started working as a lifeguard on the North Shore in 2016, the Hawaii native appeared in a series of blockbuster movies and TV shows, including “Blue Crush,” “Lost,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Hawaii Five-0.”
Perry’s death marks the second fatal shark attack in Oahu this month.
