Our Team
Blue Reef Staff
Jason MacDonald
Jason grew up in Nova Scotia on the shores of the Bras D’or, and spent over 100 days each year exploring the frigid Canadian Atlantic as a child.
As a teenager he swam for the Cape Breton Dorados swim team, competing in 400m I.M. and backstroke on his relay team. As a college student he started surfing on Nova Scotia point breaks, year round in icy winter waves.
Since then Jason has lived and surfed on 4 continents over the past 25 years and eventually chose the warm waters of Okinawa to call home.
Jason is an American Red Cross Lifeguard and CPR.
He is an ISLF certified surf lifesaver, a member of the Okinawa Lifesaving Association, and a licensed PWC Rescue Operator with Japan Water Patrol. He is an AIDA certified free diver, a PADI Public Safety Diver, a UCI Divers underwater criminal investigator, and an instructor of rescue watercraft certified through the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association.
Katsura MacDonald
Katsura MacDonald is from Nago City in Okinawa, and loves working with the children and enjoying time in the ocean with the Blue Reef kids.
Aside from running the Wednesday and Saturday Beach Captain programs, Katsura manages the BRO office and is always answering emails and scheduling events and activities for the kids. She loves to surf and free dive.
She is an ISLF certified Surf Lifesaver, an AIDA certified free diver, member of the Okinawa Lifesaving Association, and an Assistant BLS instructor with the Japan Lifesaving Association.
Junior Instructor Team
Our assistant and junior instructors are made up of the top students who’ve completed our Beach Captain program and who’ve also a successfully completed our week-long Junior Lifeguard training.
Continuing to be involved in our programs in a leadership capacity gives many Blue Reef kids practical, hands-on job skills as well as an opportunity to continue to develop their skills in the water as strong swimmers, surfers, paddlers, and free divers.
We are very proud of our Blue Reef Junior Instructors and Junior Lifeguards, and many of the kids use their experience at Blue Reef when writing resumes to apply for thier first jobs.
