Noah Oleyer, 4: The littlest lifeguard

The derring-do of 4-year-old Noah Oleyer is the talk of the town, and deservedly so. Hawai‘i has had its share of heroes, but none so young.

When his 4-year-old friend slipped beneath the water in the pool at a Hawai‘i Loa Ridge home, Noah didn’t hesitate to jump in after him.

He dove under the boy, put his legs around his neck and piggy-backed him to the surface, explained Noah’s father, Ron. "I just jumped in and he climbed on my back," was Noah’s somewhat more modest account.

Noah was honored at Honolulu Hale by a crowd of bigwigs that no doubt intimidated Noah just a bit, including the mayor, the fire chief and the police chief. All of the gifts and praise he received were richly deserved.

And now the parents, about whom we’d offer a couple of observations:

Noah’s parents are also to be commended for teaching him to swim at the tender age of 2. We wish all kids had the same opportunity. Hawai‘i, ocean-bound though it is, reportedly has a puzzingly high number of non-swimming kids. Too bad the state had to discontinue those drown-proofing classes.

Even if it was just for an instant, Noah’s friend might have had better adult supervision.

According to the National Spa and Pool Institute, an industry trade group, lack of management is the No. 1 reason that pool tragedy occurs.

Never leave a child alone and out of your eyesight in or near the water — not even for a second, the institute recommends.

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