Who was Larry Haynes? Hawaii surf photographer films epic final moments before sudden death from cardiac arrest
HONOLULU, HAWAII: The surfing community is mourning the death of Larry Haynes, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack. On Sunday, February 12, Haynes' friends and family learned of the final moments of his life, which he had documented with great joy.
On Thursday, February 9, Haynes collapsed in the parking lot during a stand-up paddle boarding session at Hawaii's Laniakea Beach, the Hill reports. According to reports, lifeguards called Brian Bielmann, a friend of Haynes, to retrieve Haynes' board and belongings so they could give them to the family. Surprisingly, Bielmann discovered a GoPro on the paddle that captured the last seconds of Haynes' glorious life. He explained, "Here it is. He had this incredible life right up till the end. He could not have filled any more into his life than he did. I went down and got it this morning and immediately took it home and went on the computer," The Hill reports.
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Bielmann said, "There must have been 40 files, and we looked through all of them. And, then, he had a lot of, like, non-start type waves and over and over and finally caught this beautiful wave and rode it for a long time. And, by the end of it, we were cheering and yelling and crying — the whole everything."
Speaking of Haynes' death, another friend of his, Mike Prickett said, "We were so, so shocked. He just did the Eddie Aikau with us. He did the Pipe contest. He does everything with a smile; and then, we just lost him. He caught a wave at Laniakea. And, then, he came in and collapsed."
Regarding the last footage, Prickett said, "It's really cool. In the footage as well because he gets his wave and right before he turns off the camera he had this Larry smile that we all knew from him. I was like, that's what made me start crying."
'Larry was a living legend'
Haynes gained the admiration of his colleagues over the course of his career, and many of them shared their condolences and honored him on social media. Erik Logan, the CEO of the World Surf League, wrote, "Sharing the tragic news that we lost a member of our team, Larry Haynes. Many of our fans might not know him, but you know his work," as reported by the Sun.
Logan added, "Larry was always in the water, on the back of a ski, hooting and hollering at the surfers on every wave." Haynes was acknowledged as one of the top players in the industry by renowned surf photographer Rob Gilley.
Gilley stated, "To me, Larry is a precious character in the surf world and a living legend," according to Surf News Network. "I have seen him shooting wide-angle in-water film at giant closed-out Off The Wall, Backdoor, Maverick's, Teahupoo, and Waimea. Before GoPro existed, Larry used to surf with a 10-pound camera attached to his head—a camera that would break your neck if the lip hit you unexpectedly."
Who was Larry Haynes?
Haynes, a renowned surf photographer, revolutionized the way the activity is filmed. He had been a surf photographer for approximately 35 years and was well-known for his bravery and agility in the face of powerful waves.
Haynes identified himself as a water cinematographer on his Instagram page. Bielmann said, "He's the most b****s of all photographers ever of all time. He was such a bull. And, he would go anywhere and do anything and have no fear," as reported by the Hill. Haynes' only survival is his daughter Lilly.