Jason Momoa's life has been marked by one wish, to get "home."

Hawaii has always been close to his heart, if somewhat removed from Norwalk, Iowa, where he spent his childhood, raised by his single mom.

Summers spent here in Nanakuli with his dad only deepened his sense of belonging in this place. So two months ago, he packed up his belongings, sold his car and came here to enroll at the University of Hawai'i.

With his love of the outdoors, he also considered the possibility of supporting himself by finding work as a lifeguard. Among the first things he did when he got here was to get certified in CPR.

Now it looks as if he'll at least be playing a lifeguard in the TV series "Baywatch." Momoa was one of three "locals" picked for lead roles in the series that starts taping here in mid July.

"My life has turned around 360 degrees. I make plans and I stick to them, I don't go half into anything. But I like to keep doors open. If I'd planned this, nothing would have happened."

What happened was that Momoa met designers Takeo and Eric Eugene Chandler soon after his arrival. The two designers have built a reputation for coaching beauty queens and have recently started an agency to represent talent. They quickly enlisted the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Momoa as a model for their menswear.

They sent him on photo shoots, helped him build a portfolio, then sent him on that fateful audition.

Of the 1,100 local people that turned out for the first "Baywatch" auditions, 30, including Momoa, got callbacks for further swim tests and readings.

"We never thought of it as a competition," Momoa said. "At first we were afraid none of us would get it. At the first reading we were terrible."

"No ... Mitch ... no," he recited, with the energy and drawn out pauses one might associate with the slowest reader in the class.

"The next time, everyone improved," he said. "We wanted this show in Hawaii and we wanted locals representing us. Technically, I didn't grow up here, but it's such an honor to represent my heritage. I don't think it matters that I didn't live here my whole life. It's in my heart."

Momoa's father is Hawaiian. Momoa was raised by his German-Irish mother in Iowa. Both contributed to his sense of ethnic pride.

"My dad gave me aloha spirit. I'd spend every summer, or at least every other summer here. My father's a big water man and we'd paddle, surf, go boogie boarding.

"My mom told me stories, cooked the foods and taught me to speak Hawaiian around the house a little bit. I'm glad that she kept the heritage close, respected it."

In addition, he said Norwalk had a larger community of Hawaiians than one might expect. "We were all close so it was great. Whenever anyone came back here, they'd bring back food."

Momoa would bring back his favorites -- manapua, Portuguese sausage, kim chee, and laulau made by his grandmother. He also admits a weakness for Hawaiian Sun's passion-orange juice.

Being here is "surreal," he says. He wanted to be in the ocean, and now spends a good part of his mornings training with his uncle, Brian Kaulana. In the afternoons, he usually works out with weights to bulk up for his chest-baring scenes.

He says he's not a particularly good surfer and practices in secret spots because "I no like shame my family."

These days, he spends half his time with his father in Nanakuli, but he's found a second family in Takeo and Chandler, whose ambition for Momoa extends to the big screen.

"None of this would be possible without them. They're allowing me to stay focused on my future. They're like my fathers. They take care of me, feed me. It's really hard feeding me coz I eat a lot."

The dependence factor is somewhat embarrassing for the usually independent Momoa. Before coming here, he had been in his sophomore year at Colorado State. He had his own apartment and was working two jobs to support himself.

"The main thing is that this works out so good that I can help my mother and my father out.

"I'm trying to get my mom a car. For a long time, it was just me and my mom. She's worked so hard her whole life to support me, and I can finally repay her some day if I get full blown into this.

"Hopefully, I can get her back over here too."