Jon Mozo

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of that great underwater / surf photographer Jon Mozo. He was apparently carried into the reef at Ehukai Beach (Pipeline) and died of head injuries. The Honolulu Advertizer carries this article but it barely communicates the feelings of the North Shore community and the university.

Baker said yesterday was one of those "pristine, perfect kind of photo and surfing days." The surf at Pipeline was not especially big, he said, but the swell was out of the west "and as any North Shore lifeguard can tell you, when you have an extreme west swell you have an extremely strong current and it's very easy to get dragged into a shallow area off the reef.

"He probably found himself caught in the face of a wave, and with the power of these west swells it may have dragged him up and over the face of the wave and flipped him into the shallow water. He would have hit the reef, which at best has 5 feet of water."

This vignette of his life perhaps says it better:

Jon went to BYU Hawaii and developed a talent for picture taking while working at the Polynesian Cultural Center, where he met his wife and studied her Maori culture. He left Hawaii in 1994 and took a job in San Diego doing photofinishing. Six months later he moved out to the east coast where he worked for a number of labs and studios in the Baltimore and DC areas. After two years of gaining invaluable experience, and sacrificing much island living, Jon moved back to Hawaii. With these new experiences and knowledge, he anxiously started his own photography business in 1996.

He leaves a wife and four children, and an entire community of admirers.
Twelve years ago Jon escaped a shark attack at Goat Island yet continued to love the water.
Jon's passing is felt by the entire community. He was known as a good husband and father, a great underwater photographer and an all around good man.
Aloha Jon.