Mikala Jones, an American professional surfer, perished in a fatal surfing disaster off the coast of the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia.
The passing of Hawaii-born Jones, 44, sent shockwaves through the surfing community. His ability to navigate breaking waves earned him acclaim as one of the sport’s legends.
On social media, tributes flooded in shortly after his death was announced.
Uncertainty surrounds the cause of mortality.
Isabella Jones verified her father’s passing in an Instagram post on Sunday.
“Dad was killed in a terrible surfing accident,” she wrote.
She also shared childhood photographs of the pair.
You weren’t intended to leave yet, so I wish you were still with us. This is premature,” she wrote.
Jones gained a surf following by filming himself riding big swells that collapsed.
Between his countless cover shots and video parts, as well as his mesmerizing GoPro footage, Mikala was undoubtedly one of the most photogenic surfers of the 21st century, according to the magazine Surfline.
The professional surfing community expressed their condolences via social media.
Mick Fanning, a three-time World Surfing Champion, penned, “So devastated to hear the news.”
Surf photographer Brian Bielmann wrote on Instagram, “He was a wonderful person and an incredible artist; his GoPro photos were mind-blowing.”
We are going to mourn him terribly.
Jones was a former ambassador for the clothing brand Reef, which released a statement in his honor, describing him as “a contemporary surfing POV content creator ahead of his time” and “arguably one of the most barreled surfers.”
