Famous surfer Mikala Jones died Sunday morning in a freak surfing accident in Indonesia at the impossibly young age of 44, according to posts by his family on Instagram.
Jones was reportedly surfing off the coast of the Mentawai Islands in North Sipora, Indonesia where he lived when the fin on his board sliced his femoral artery, causing him to bleed out before he could get to the hospital by boat.
Originally from Hawaii, Jones relocated to Indonesia several years ago. He was famous for taking photos and video of himself surfing, and was a trailblazer in that area.
Jones' daughter Isabella Jones posted a beautiful and painful tribute to her father on Instagram along with photos of her with her father in the water.
“I’m in so much disbelief right now, this doesn’t feel real. I love you so much dad and i wish i could give you one last hug. I wish i could tell you again how much i love you and thank you for being the best dad,” she wrote.
“I wish you were still here with us, you weren’t supposed to leave yet. This is too soon,” Isabella wrote.
“I know you are in a good place now with nana vi, and your friends. I wish this never happened and we could just wake up and go surf together tomorrow morning,” she said.
She said she was glad he died doing what he loved, but went on to express her pain at losing him.
“Life will never be the same without you. I miss you so much, i would do anything to get one more moment, even if it was us arguing and then laughing our as**s off. Thank you for teaching me so many life lessons, and always being there for me,” she said.
“I wish you were still here with us right now. I will always be think about you dad (heart emoji) i love you so much, thank you for everything (heart emoji) fly high,” she said.
“ur a fu**ing legend,” she ended her tribute.
It is not known how old Isabella is, or even how many children Jones had (thought to be two or three), because Jones kept his family life private and did not comment on it much.
Pro surfer Tia Blanco commented on her post, saying, “Your dad was one of the nicest humans I’ve encountered in the surfing community. So sad to hear this news. Sending you love & strength. So sorry about this."
Others in the surfing community also sent their condolences to Jones' family.
