LEADERSHIP
BRIAN KEAULANA
Born to legendary Hawaiian waterman Buffalo Keaulana, and now a major force in his own right, Keaulana is the highly respected cornerstone of the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group.
Born and raised on the beach at Makaha, Brian has made major contributions to the surfing world not only through his own sporting achievements, but also through his ocean-safety expertise that he has shared with ocean communities around the world, saving countless lives along the way. His experience in the most challenging of ocean conditions is unsurpassed.
DANILO COUTO
Originally from Bahia, Brazil, and a resident of Hawaii for the last 20 years, Danilo Couto along with Marcio Freire and Yuri Soledade was the first to paddle into Jaws at a respectable size. He won the 2011 XXL Awards Ride of the Year with the first bomb paddle-in ride at Jaws.
Danilo is one of the founding members of BWRAG. Chasing huge waves around the world is what drives him. Taking his kids stand up paddling in small waves in front of his house and cooking Mukeka (traditional Brazilian food) for his family is what motivates him to return home safely.
KOHL CHRISTENSEN
“Surfing big waves keeps me grounded,” says Kohl. A founding member of BWRAG, Kohl was one of the leading players in the revival of paddle-in surfing in giant conditions. He spends much of his time tracking storms in the oceans as well as the mountains.
When it’s flat, he’s pretty grounded as well, installing solar energy systems, tending to his off-the-grid farm on the North Shore of Oahu and going to the beach with his two young daughters.
PAT CHONG TIM
Pat, born and raised in the Hawaiian islands, is an Ocean Risk Specialist with over three decades of experience in risk mitigation.
He has shared and taught the I.A.C.I.S. process in multiple oceans around the world as Chief Master Instructor with BWRAG and co-founder of MA’A (Mixed Aquatic Arts) with Brian Keaulana.
Pat lives and breaths the Hawaiian Values serving humanity in the world of Ocean Safety.
ZACH DIIONNO
Zach is the Managing Director of BWRAG. An avid surfer and cross-disciplinary athlete, Zach joined BWRAG in 2018 to help the organization expand and scale its mission across the globe.
Zach is a practicing attorney and the co-founder of CANDELA HAWAIʻI, a one-stop shop for small-to-midsize businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits that offers services ranging from legal work, public relations, business strategy, and event curation and production. Zach represents clients in the food & beverage, nonprofit, agribusiness, retail, startup, and travel & tourism sectors.
He is a co-founder and Event Director for FESTA ITALIANA, Hawaiʻi’s first and only Italian street festival. In 2019, the Third Annual Festa Italiana welcomed 9,500+ locals and visitors to the streets of Kakaʻako to celebrate “where ciao meets aloha” through food, music, and art.
Inspired by his experience as a Hawaiʻi public school teacher, Zach is one of the founding members of the DreamHouse ʻEwa Beach charter school, the first-ever approved charter school in Ewa Beach that serves students in grades 6-12. He now serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit DreamHouse, Inc., which directly supports DREAMHOUSE ʻEWA BEACH.
KIRA DIIONNO
Kira leads the event production, public relations, and marketing for BWRAG. Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Kira is passionate about sharing the amazing business stories in her home state.
Kira is the co-founder of CANDELA HAWAIʻI, a one-stop shop for small-to-midsize businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits that offers services ranging from legal work, public relations, business strategy, and event curation and production. Kira has spent over eight years representing clients in the food & beverage, nonprofit, agribusiness, retail, startup, and travel & tourism sectors.
Kira has planned and executed over 50 in-person and virtual events, including large-scale galas, intimate private gatherings, business seminars, full-day conferences, multi-day summits, street festivals, as well as virtual summits and conferences.