Mikala Jones, international surfing star, died on Sunday after an accident while riding a giant wave in Indonesia. The 44-year-old Hawaiian sportsman leaves behind his wife and three daughters, reports the HuffPost.
Isabella, one of his daughters, paid tribute to him on Instagram. She thanked her father for teaching her “so many life lessons” and for “always being there” for her. A statement that she accompanied with many shots of her father and her surfing.
A very rare accident
The disappearance of Mikala Jones has turned the surfing world upside down. American Kelly Slater, often described as the best surfer of all time, paid tribute to him, as did Frenchman Mikaël Picon. The Hawaiian had become famous in particular by filming all his outings at sea with a GoPro camera.
This Sunday, he went to Mentawii, an Indonesian surf spot known for its giant waves, with Santiago Pereira. “Jones put his GoPro in his mouth and started paddling with great energy to surf the second wave of a giant series,” said the Uruguayan surfer after the tragedy.
“She was very big, three times her size,” he added. “When he came out of the foam, a few seconds later, he realized that he had cut his groin. “. Unconscious, Mikala Jones was taken out of the water and taken care of by the rescuers. Hit in the femoral artery, he unfortunately bled to death before the emergency services managed to resuscitate him. An extremely rare accident.