July 11 (UPI) -- Professional surfers from around the world are mourning the death of Mikala Jones, who was fatally injured while riding waves in Indonesia. He was 44.
Jones' daughter, Isabella Jones, said on Instagram on Monday that her father died Sunday after a surfing accident. That posting came the same day Surfline.com, KHON2 in Hawaii and surf photographer Brian Bielmann said Jones died after wrecking his board in the Mentawais, an island chain on Indonesia's west side.
"I'm not sure how to put this in words, but my dad got into a bad surfing accident and didn't make it," Isabella Jones wrote on Instagram. "I'm happy he was doing what he loved the most."
Jones was widely known for his surfing video production. The GoPro footage often featured the Hawaiian surfer filming himself while barreling through waves, with sunlight reflecting off the bright blue water.
Jones maintained a following of more than 53,000 people on Instagram.
"Sobering moment," surfing legend Kelly Slater wrote on Instagram. "Maybe nobody lived this life better. Incredible guy and surfer."
Griffin Colapinto, the No. 2 men's surfer in the world, as well as three-time world champion Mick Fanning, were among other current and former surfers to offer condolences on social media. The apparel company Reef, which sponsored Jones, also issued a statement about his death.
"We honor a father, an explorer of uncharted surf, and arguably one of the most barreled surfers on the planet," Reef said. "You made us wonder with just enough healthy FOMO [fear of missing out].
"Mikala made it a priority to preserve and respect these sacred discoveries. At times, when lucky enough to join that coveted surf trip with a personal invite ... an overzealous Jedi would ask for more info ... he would respectfully reply: 'Too many questions.'
"You would just have to watch the master at work. Mikala was a surfing savant. An artist ahead of his time painting his canvas on waves like no other."
