We first met Joey Cadiz of the North Shore Lifeguard Association at the 5-mile Rock Run in Waimea Bay for the Ten Thousand Feats of Strength Challenge back in June. As a lifeguard in one of the most challenging areas of Hawaii, a big wave surfer, and an avid weight-lifter, Joey immediately took notice of the Deep End Fitness athletes during the Rock Run that day and the incredible feats they were able to accomplish.

He knew this type of training would not only complement the North Shore Lifeguard Association’s intensive training but also push their underwater confidence to a whole other level. We recently sat down with Joey to learn more about the North Shore Lifeguard Association, the 38 Challenge we hosted with him, and the ways he’s working to bring Deep End Fitness to Hawaii.

How did you first hear about Deep End Fitness?

Social media has provided us with the ability to see how different people train all over the world. It’s become a source of inspiration, and makes the fitness world that much smaller without sacrificing the uniqueness across the vast training techniques out there - sometimes something just grabs your attention right away. Around the time Deep End Fitness first started, I saw a post from them and immediately started to think how what they were doing underwater actually transcends many sports I and my colleagues participate in.

It seemed as if it could be applied to any fitness method, any sport. Whether you’re looking to improve your mental toughness in competition or working physically as a lifeguard, underwater training and raising your water confidence truly makes you better at everything. You’re pushing yourself to do something new and uncomfortable. Deep End Fitness training seemed to be a unique opportunity to expand those skills.

Tell us more about the North Shore Lifeguard Association and your colleagues there.

The City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety have four districts (North, South, East, and West). The North Shore is arguably the most well-known amongst tourists and athletes because of its large (and often dangerous) surf throughout the winter. We’re among the most highly regarded of all the lifeguard associations worldwide.

Nearly all of the lifeguards that work with the North Shore Lifeguard Association are athletes in their own right, participating in different niche competitions (weight-lifting, CrossFit, triathlons, etc.) all the time. Cross-training for different disciplines like this is what makes us better equipped in the ocean when responding to emergencies and helps us do our jobs better together. We’re always going to be pushed to the limits at work, so we need to push ourselves to the limit when we’re training.

What stood out to you about Deep End Fitness that made you want to get yourself and the North Shore Lifeguard Association involved?

Their deep focus is on helping people to improve their underwater confidence. We do a lot on the surface of the water, but being trained underwater would just add another layer to that and allow us to do our jobs even better. A lot of people aren’t comfortable when holding their breath underwater. The people who are trained in that are more versed, more safe, and better prepared to do underwater rescues.

When Don and the others from Deep End Fitness came to do the 5-mile underwater rock run, we weren’t quite sure what was going on or what to expect in terms of lifeguarding the event. We quickly realized who these guys were and understood what they were doing. There was no one else better trained to be able to do something like that, let alone finish the underwater run. That hit me because I understand how demanding rock running is. They do it for about six hours - it’s pretty unreal!

These guys from Deep End Fitness are on a whole other level when it comes to pushing their minds, their strength, and ability underwater. Seeing them in person at the rock run was that spark for me. It pushed me to start up the conversation with them about bringing this type of training to the North Shore Lifeguard Association and Hawaii as a whole. It wasn’t long after we planned the 38-Challenge event.

What is a 38-challenge? Can you tell us more about the 38-Challenge Deep End Fitness and the North Shore Lifeguard Association ran in Hawaii?

The 38 Challenge was created to honor the legacy of Matt Brewer – an incredible athlete, a decorated marine, and most importantly, a loving son and brother. Tragically, Matt took his own life due to the effects of suspected CTE and PTSD. The 38 Challenge has one common goal: to endure 38 minutes of suffering to protect the livelihoods of the warriors who protect us.

Together, Deep End Fitness and the North Shore Lifeguard Association hosted a similar challenge as a way to raise awareness for mental health and head trauma amongst athletes and veterans. It’s also very much about checking in on your friends. The challenge motto is, “We suffer so they don’t.” It was a great way for us to bring these types of training and our two communities together.

The challenge itself involves:

• wearing a 38-lbs vest while running a quarter-mile

• 38 push-ups

• 38 air squats

• and 38 leg lifts

We modified it for the water that day and instead of doing a quarter-mile run with the vest, we did 38 minutes of AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of the push-ups, air squats, and leg lifts followed by 25 strokes out to the ocean and 25 strokes back to shore.

The event inspired so many of us. I had colleagues coming to ask me when we were going to do something similar again or get a competitive match going as we’d previously talked about. So, since then, we’ve been bringing what we can from Deep End Fitness to our training, doing a lot of drown-proofing, rock running, Up and downs, and breath exercises.

How do you feel something like Deep End Fitness would be useful for the surfer and lifeguard community as a whole?

Surfers, lifeguards, and all water athletes don’t typically cross-train, so to speak, in anything else (lifting weights, swimming, running, etc.) to prepare for their sport. But, simulating movements and expanding your cardio underwater would be really beneficial for these groups. Deep End Fitness trains in all of these areas. It helps you become more familiar with how your body moves in the water. For surfers in particular, they could benefit from learning how to use their bodies better in the water instead of relying on their board for floatation.

You don’t have to be in the ocean to train. You can use the pool or a combination of land and water. For lifeguards, Deep End Fitness is an opportunity to be in the water more and expand their abilities therein making them more capable teammates. People with increased water confidence are who you want backing you up out there in the open ocean.

The underwater torpedo glider also adds a fun, playful element that not only distracts you from the uncomfortable feeling of holding your breath underwater but also gives you something to focus on as a way of improving your mental focus. 

What was one thing that surprised you about the Deep End Fitness workouts? How do you feel they have benefited you since you started implementing them?

It’s all pretty humbling in the beginning. You think you can do all these things, being a strong athlete and lifeguard but then when it comes to working your breath underwater, there's a lot of room to grow. I’ve already noticed improvements myself, getting more comfortable underwater longer with quicker recovery times between dives.

I consider myself to have always been a waterman since a young age growing up on the beaches of Hawaii’s North Shore. But as I got older, my abilities with heavy weight lifting had also grown, making water activities a bit contradictory for what I was training my body for (on land). With the Deep End Fitness workouts, I can honestly say I’ve been able to find the balance I’ve been looking for that allows me to thrive in and out of the water. And it’s only getting better!

How do you hope to be involved moving forward? Any future plans for these two groups?

Deep End Fitness and the North Shore Lifeguard Association planned to do an exhibition match between our Underwater Torpedo League instructors and the North Shore Lifeguard Association over Labor Day weekend, but given both groups’ commitment and value to the community, we decided to postpone due to the rising Delta Variant rates in Hawaii at the time. Instead, we planned the 38 Challenge event and Deep End Fitness still plans to head back out here in December to host the exhibition match and live stream it on YouTube...there’s definitely more to come...

Signup for our newsletter to stay in the loop!