Surfing Icon Dies at 44 After Freak Accident With Surfboard
Longtime surfer Mikala Jones has died at age 44 after a surfing accident in Indonesia on Sunday.
His father, John Jones, told The Associated Press that his son’s surfboard fin cut his femoral artery while surfing off the Mentawai Islands on Sunday.
“He was a humble artist,” the elder Jones said. “His pictures were incredible.”
Jones is most-known for his photos and videos of him riding waves, most of which are from angles that show him inside of the waves. While his images and videos have gained a lot of traction on social media in recent years, Jones began photographing himself while surfing back in the 1990s by taking a camera and holding it under his chin. He later used a GoPro camera.
In posting his photos and video on social media, Jones amassed a following on Instagram of almost 55,000.
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Jones began surfing when he was approximately 7 years old. The Hawai’i native won two national championships at the amateur level.