Jon Mozo’s tribute celebration
Jon Mozo a tribute celebration : turtle
It was one of the most beautiful days you could ever imagine at the infamous Banzai Pipeline. A day so picturesque and with waves so perfect, you could never imagine it would take a life. Especially considering the waves were only in the 4-6 foot range, and just so pristine. I remember this day quite vividly because my husband Tamayo Perry and I were shooting on a camera board with another amazing photographer friend of ours, the late great Warren Bolster.
The reason I mention this, is because when you shoot with the camera board it’s always dangerous. So the conditions have to be just right and flawless to use that type of equipment. It was basically the kind of day that you often put your guard down. There was nothing that could have prepared you for the outcome of that day. Jon Mozo, our friend and inspiration had got caught on the inside of Backdoor while trying to capture the image. The wave drove him into the reef where Jon went unconscious from striking his head with such force. By the time everyone realized that Jon was missing, it was to late. It always seems to be when you least expect it… but the eerie thing is, as you will see later in this blog, it was as if Jon had been foretold through a higher power that his time here on earth was coming to a soon close.
When I got the privilege to work with Jon Mozo
I was and still am in complete disbelief that such tragedy had taken place, and I must say, after last nights engagement ( Jon Mozo’s tribute celebration ), I truly miss our friend. However, how many people in the world have had the pleasure to leave behind to their loved ones and strangers alike, a life of their complete passion and adventure documented and captured from behind the lens of a camera? On the 9th we celebrated a tribute to the life of Jon Mozo and discovered that he still has 10,000 images of slides that will live on for ever with his legacy. Tamayo and I are so blessed to have worked with such a legend and we are even more blessed to have been able to call him a dear friend. The adventures and memories we shared with him will be cherished forever. We miss you Jon and may the Good Lord have you safe in his arms:)
Island life Jon Mozo a tribute celebration
“If he had a list of dreams, I think they’d all be checked off. I don’t think he had any regrets. I feel like he was ready. He knew it was coming and it was OK.”
Nikki Mozo | Jon Mozo’s widow
Amber mozo “my hero”
NOTE: You can still purchase Jon’s amazingly artistic images at the link provided below:
Jon Mozo Shop
transend
Here is an extract with more details on what happened that day to Jon but the best bit, is that a legend lives on. Jon Mozo’s tribute celebration
The great Niki Mozo
North Shore surf photographer and artist Jon Mozo died from head injuries on February 9th after being driven into the reef at Backdoor. He was 33 years old.
The surf wasn’t giant by North Shore standards: about four to six feet out of the west. The sun was out and there were quite a few photographers on the beach and surfers in the water. Mozo hit the reef around 2pm and his body drifted across the inside of the Pipe lineup to in front of the lifeguard tower. Lifeguards tried to revive him with a defibrillator but weren’t successful.
Longtime surf photographer Dan Merkel was on the beach. “Jon’s been around the North Shore for years,” he said. “He knew what he was doing. But it doesn’t need to be giant to get hurt at Backdoor. The left at Pipeline has a safety zone, the channel and it goes into sand, but Backdoor is all reef, If you’re in the wrong spot, you have nowhere to go.”
Approximately ten surfers have died while surfing Pipeline, but Mozo is the first surf photographer to pass away. There have been hundreds of serious injuries over the years, however. Last year during the Hansen’s Pipeline pro, water photographer Larry Haynes split his helmet wide open.
This was Mozo’s second horrific incident in the ocean. In 1993, he was attacked by a tiger shark while surfing the East Side. He managed to make it in on his own, and had to get 30 stitches to close up his foot.
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the sunset that night
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