A number of surfers have died doing what they love most. Here are seven who are sorely missed by family, friends, and surfing fans.
May they never be forgotten.
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Mark Foo
The fearless Hawaiian surfer was a showman and knew how to work the crowd no matter when or where. He had a massive ego, but his heart was equally as big and he had many dear friends.
Mark Foo put his money where his mouth was, however, and attempted to surf some of the biggest waves ever seen, during a 50-foot swell at Waimea Bay.
Foo attempted to ride a solid 30-footer during that swell but was unable to pull it off, describing it later in a Surfer Magazine article as ‘the unridden realm.’
He died surfing Mavericks for the first time in December 1994.
It is still unclear as to how it happened because the wave was only about 15-foot, but it is assumed that his leash snagged on a rock and he drowned.
Sion Milosky
A goofy-footer from Kaui, Sion Milosky was first known as a proficient long-boarder and was somewhat late in coming to the big wave fold. It soon became obvious that the man was fearless, and he would charge hard from the underground, only gaining any sort of fame late in his career.
It was a career that was unfortunately cut short, when he was held under for two giant waves at Mavericks in 2011, and failed to surface. His body was found nearly a mile away from the break sometime later.
Donnie Solomon
It was in 1995 that a young California surfer named Donnie Solomon found himself in trouble at Waimea Bay in Hawaii. Solomon was confident and competent in big water, but he paddled for a wave, missed it and was confronted by a huge set.
Solomon went over the falls on a big wave, and he too never resurfaced until it was too late.
Kelly Slater, a friend of his, was on the scene when it all went down but Solomon could not be resuscitated.
Ace Cool
Alec Cooke, aka ‘Ace Cool’ was a more recent surfing death when he disappeared at Waimea Bay in 2015.
Ace already had his place in the history books, however, with an attempt to surf the biggest waves ever at Keana Point, as well as a helicopter drop into the line-up on a maxed out and presumed unrideable day at Pipeline.
On that day he did manage to ride a wave or two and thus earned his place in the record books. When he died, he paddled out at dusk into a growing swell at Waimea Bay and was never seen again, despite an intense coastal search along the North Shore for a number of days.
Todd Chesser
Another Hawaiian surfer, Todd Chesser was a highly skilled and talented surfer who competed on the Qualifying Series. Todd was also comfortable in big surf.
He loathed crowds and on the day of his death, he decided against surfing crowded Waimea Bay and took a left to go and surf Outside Alligators, a wave that is pretty much left alone by all except a few hardy locals. Chesser surfed for a few hours before getting caught inside by a monster 25-foot set and not surviving it.
He was a popular surfer amongst the Momentum generation, and Chesser has been sorely missed by all.
Malik Joyeux
The Tahitian surfer was extremely confident and capable in giant surf, earning the award for the XXL Tube Of The Year in 2003 for a ridiculous barrel at Teahupo’o.
The wave that killed him, by comparison, was a fairly minor wave at Pipeline. Having said that, there is nothing friendly about an 8-foot Pipe wave, and it was such a wave that caught him and it is presumed, slammed him onto the shallow reef below.
Malik Joyeux’s body washed quickly in a westerly direction and was found later at Pupukea, to the west of Pipe.
Kirk Passmore
Kirk Passmore was an experienced big wave surfer who lived on Oahu’s North Shore.
Passmore’s final ride was in 2013, on one of the biggest waves of the day at Alligator Rock, a spot half a mile further out from Waimea Bay.
Witnesses say he was spotted briefly following the wipeout, before the next wave hit him. Kirk failed to get his head above the surface and take a breath.
Jamie Sterling, a former Big Wave World Tour champion, was one of the surfers who witnessed the incident. Sterling said “It looked like he had broken his eardrum or maybe his neck because his feet popped up and he was facing down. He may have had vertigo, or lost his equilibrium.”
Mikala Jones
Mikala Jones, the celebrated Hawaiian surfer renowned for capturing awe-inspiring photos and videos from within the heart of barreling waves.
On a fateful Sunday morning, during a trip to the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra, Mikala ventured into the ocean. Regrettably, his surfboard fin accidentally severed his femoral artery, a crucial blood vessel in the thigh responsible for delivering blood to the lower limbs.
Mikala Jones was not only an accomplished surfer but also an inspiration to many within the surfing community. His contributions to the world of surfing will be remembered fondly.