Rescue: HI Surf – Pilot

I’m going to be honest here, I went into this show with very low expectations. I’ve been disappointed by the hype of new shows lately only to be let down. Thankfully, this show isn’t that. 

Right from the start the adventure begins: North Shore of O’ahu, though beautiful, is known for its dangerous surf and one unlucky tourist learned that very quickly. This is where the show started to grab my attention. We’ve seen how some of these shows try to portray realistic rescues yet you could almost always tell that these people have no clue what they’re doing. This crew though? You couldn’t tell me these actors weren’t lifeguards in another life. I found myself holding my breath as I watched Emily swim out, in rough waters, to grab the distressed surfer and pull him up towards safety. With the rest of her crew not too far behind to assist with the rescue, I forgot for a moment this was scripted television. 

“Pilot” – RESCUE: HI-SURF. Pictured: Arielle Kebbel as Emily “Em” Wright, Kekoa Kekumano as Laka Hanohano, and Adam Demos as Will Ready Photo: Zach Dougan/FOX ©2024 Fox Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Now let’s get into these stories. The recruitment process for lifeguards is intense, but this test? I got exhausted just listening to what these new recruits had to do to become certified. The exam is now over and Hina, the only female recruit, comes in first, followed by Kainalu and the others. Whoever came in first was able to get their requested district to work in and Hina chose District 7 (where the badass lifeguards are). Fair enough right? Well, Kainalu’s father, who is the councilman running for mayor, came in to pull some strings promising some improvements for District 7, if they let Kainalu join them. I can’t believe that’s all it took (and I didn’t know that meant Hina was now out). 

Captain Jennings, Sonny to most of them, seems to be struggling a bit. He’s focused where it counts, but something’s weighing on him. We learn that a month prior, his nephew, Zion, died in an accident. We don’t have much detail about the accident, but Sonny isn’t handling it well at all. I see this being a problem down the line. 

“Pilot” – RESCUE: HI-SURF. Pictured: Zoe Cipres as Hina and Alex Aiono as Kainalu. Photo: Zach Dougan/FOX ©2024 Fox Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Kainalu is placed to work with Emily, Will, and Laka on tower duty where he experiences his first call and well…mistakes were made. Oh, Kainalu, what have you done? He was in charge of making the call to EMS and he sent them 100 yards away from the team’s location, making rescue efforts more difficult than necessary. Now what if this was a time sensitive rescue? Emily shows Sonny a clip of the epic fail (I can’t believe it went viral on social media) but he doesn’t seem to care too much but rather makes an excuse for Kainalu. 

Sonny goes to visit a memorial for Zion and gives him a bit of an update on what’s happening, but man was this a tough to see. My heart broke when he said “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you”. Coupled with the fact that he doesn’t speak to Zion’s mother anymore, I can only imagine the pain he’s holding on to.

“Pilot” – RESCUE: HI-SURF. Pictured: Kekoa Kekumano as Laka Hanohano, Adam Demos as Will Ready and Alex Aiono as Kainalu. Photo: Zach Dougan/FOX ©2024 Fox Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Back at work, Sonny is on the phone with the Chief, and he ends up taking the blame for Kainalu’s mistake (and I wanted to scream, because why would he do that?). This turns out to be a good call though, because with what happened on this rescue, the Chief approves funding for an additional tower and new rescue skis. Not only that, he gets approval to hire an additional hire, and Sonny requested Hina. Glad she’s back (she should’ve never had to sacrifice her spot, but I’ll let it go for now). The tension between Hina and Kainalu though? I am SEATED! He really tried to play nice with her knowing that he took her spot. 

This show is equal parts action and equal parts drama that leaves the audience wanting more. There’s a lot more to unpack with some of the storylines and I’m looking forward to it. 

SCORE: 9/10

What’d you think about the “Pilot” episode of Rescue: HI Surf? Share your thoughts below, or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs