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, 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 water as cold as 28F degrees.
Since then he 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 Rec Cross Lifeguard Instructor, and CPR Instructor.
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, and UCI Divers underwater criminal investigator.
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.
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, and a member of the Okinawa Lifesaving Association.
David Honjigawa
David Honjigawa is a boat captain, diver, and spear fisherman.
David hails from Scotland and has Japanese roots on the island of Kagoshima. Before joining the BRO Team in 2022 he worked as a dive guide. David is a Rescue Diver and PADI Divemaster.
His current passion is spear fishing, which has him challenging his free diving abilities daily, and he loves passing on his knowledge of the underwater environment to the Blue Reef kids.
Junior Instructor Team
Sam Roen began as a student in the Blue Reef Summer Camp Program and instructors recognized his natural talents in the water as well as his ability for leadership working with younger students right away. Sam comes from a swim team family, and was working as a lifeguard for MCCS while attending the BRO program.
After Sam’s first month at Blue Reef he became the first BRO Jr. Instructor, and has since been joined by Zane Wintermute and Emma Jones.
Zane is an exceptional athlete in the water and Emma has displayed great abilities for teamwork, communication and leadership over the past year at Blue Reef.
These outstanding team members will complete surf lifesaver training ahead of their first full-time summer as Jr. Instructors in 2022.
