Kien Aveiro
Director of Water Safety
A true waterman, Kien Aveiro grew up surfing, diving, and fishing on the Big Island’s beautiful Kohala Coast. Alex and Duke De Rego were his hanai brothers and Shirley was like a second Mom. He was a teenager when the brothers passed away, an event that influenced him greatly and changed the way he saw life.
Kien is a graduate of Honokaa High School and studied Kinesiology and Sports Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, where he played basketball for the Vulcans. In 2011, Kien became a lifeguard, serving on Mauna Kea Beach for eight years.
As a lifeguard, he has volunteered with the Jr. Lifeguard Program and the Lavaman Triathlon as part of the water safety team. In 2018, he joined the Alex and Duke Foundation Board and serves as the organization’s water safety point person for education and events. He brings a depth of experience to this role, having, as he puts it, ‘been on both sides’ of rescuer and rescuee in the water – part of the occupational hazard of riding massive waves in Hawaii. In his free time, you can typically find Kien surfing, training Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, or with his nose in a good book. One of his all-time favorite reads is The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Kien is the proud father of a son, Kobe Alexander, who he named in honor of Alex De Rego.