When Mikala Jones died in early July, the surfing world lost an amazing man. I didn’t know him well — just a few hellos here and there on the North Shore and a handful of house tours — but the little I did know of him was nothing but good. He was, by all accounts, a man who gave his all to everyone. Kind. Intelligent. Always smiling. And he was a man who was completely obsessed with getting barreled.
As I said, Mikala was a giver. He wanted to make people happy. He wanted people to experience what he experienced, because to him, getting barreled was one of the best things on Earth. And of any surfer, Mikala was, perhaps, the man who showed us the most. He searched endlessly for waves with a GoPro in his hand. He tucked himself away inside countless tubes, the camera rolling, bringing the viewer along for the ride.
Mikala is gone now, and we’re all worse off for his loss. But his visions will remain in the ether, floating around for all of us, inspiring us to chase those waves and to share our good experiences with others. Above are a few minutes of some of his best rides. RIP, Mikala. Thanks for all you did for all of us.
