*check out this article written about Jose Angel.  i still remember clearly the time he went missing miles and miles out to sea.  and i clearly remember the phone call he made to my Mom after swimming to Molokai.  and i clearly remember him coming home that night.  and i clearly remember him telling me the story about him getting surround by sharks.  at that time, i was a kid so i was emotionless.  i thought it was normal.  or maybe i just never knew that to think?  but when i think about it now, i know how crazy it must have been to be alone in the deep blue sea.  i’m sure he kept calm and i’m sure he knew he would survive.  if he were still alive today, i would have a thousand of questions for him.

on top of all of that, to know that Jose was known to be one of the 10 greatest big wave surfers in history, that makes me proud.  read the article here…

The Art of Surfing: 10 Of The Greatest Big Wave Surfers In History

Jose Angel has become a legend of the North Shore, not only for his big wave exploits but for also his incredible free diving skills. Angel moved to Hawaii in 1955 and immediately took to the powerful waves along the North Shore of Oahu. He soon became known as a thrill-seeker who would go on any wave, anywhere and not care if he made it or not. Angel loved freediving as much as surfing and became quite well known throughout the islands. Angel would often dive to depths of 300 feet and hold his breath for up to 5 minutes.  Angel was once separated from his boat during a dive off Maui. Stranded over 13 miles out to sea, he put his head down and started swimming to the island of Molokai. Hours passed and he eventually made it to land. where he hiked over four miles till he found the nearest phone.