Professional Hawaiian surfer Mikala Jones dies aged 44 after being injured by own board
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A professional Hawaii surfer known for shooting photos and videos of himself inside massive waves has died after a surfing accident in Indonesia.
Mikala Jones, 44, was surfing on Sunday morning in the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra when his surfboard fin cut his femoral artery, according to his father Dr John Jones.
The femoral artery is a large blood vessel in the thigh that delivers blood to lower limbs.
Surf photographer Woody Woodworth, who said Mr Jones took the best overall surf photo he had ever seen, said cuts from surfboard fins are common.
He said some surfers like to keep their fins sharp because they believe doing so will help them ride waves more precisely – but a fin can be like an axe or a cleaver when combined with a wave’s power.
Surfers are often told to use sandpaper to dull the edges if their fin is too sharp.
Mr Jones started surfing at about seven or eight years old and went on to win two national championships as an amateur.
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He was also aware of the potential dangers of surfing, having once experienced an out-of-body experience after nearly drowning.
Unlike other photographers who would take pictures from the beach or of other people in the water, Mr Jones took photos and videos of waves curling around him while he crouched on his board – sharing them regularly on social media.
In some images, a sunset or sunrise is visible through the curved wave in front of him.
Having initially achieved these shots by attaching a camera to his board, the surfer began to use a GoPro after the lightweight cameras were invented.
He was later sponsored by the company and used software to stitch together images from multiple GoPro cameras for 360-degree views.
One image in particular, which shows Mr Jones in the middle of a wave with his reflection mirrored on the water, as the sun sets, was used on the cover of The Surfer’s Journal.
It was dubbed the “Olympic-winner-of-all-time photograph”, by Mr Woodworth.
His father added: “He was a humble artist. His pictures were incredible.”
Mr Jones is survived by his wife Emma Brereton and daughters Bella and Violet, who split their time between homes in Bali, Indonesia and Hawaii.
