Surfers leave the water and form a circle to offer prayers for Malik Joyeux
Photo Bruno Lemos - Lemosimage.com / Waves Brazil

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R.I.P.  Pro surfer Malik Joyeux dies at Banzai Pipeline

(Scroll down for French & Portuguese + and related reports)

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 December, 2005 : - - Professional surfer Malik Joyeux from Tahiti died this Friday morning following an accident at Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore. He was a well-known waterman and one of the most popular surfers in Tahiti. Joyeux was 25.

Surfers said Joyeux had just caught a wave at Pipeline and was cheered on by his fellow surfers. But the wave struck Joyeux and he landed hard in the water and was sucked under. Witnesses said Joyeux was under for about 10 minutes (reports vary) before he was found.

He was brought to shore and taken to Kahuku Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death. 

In February of this year, Jon Mozo, a well-known underwater photographer from Hawaii, also drowned at Pipeline while taking surf pictures.

The accident occurred at about 10:30 on Friday 02 December 2005. Malik was hit by the lip of the wave while he was in the tube and fell from his board. His leash broke with the force of the wave. He was found 15 minutes later at Pupukea beach break, off to the right of the peak at Pipeline. Surfers and paramedics made several attempts to revive the unconcious surfer, but he did not respond. He was taken to Kahuku hospital. 

Photographer Bruno Lemos said the wave exploded on top of Joyeux, snapping his board in half.

Confronted with immense sorrow approximately 60 surfers left the water, and afterwards, the surfers formed a cirle on the beach and offered a prayer for Malik Joyeux. 

Malik, from Moorea, was one of the big surfing names of Tahiti, alongside such noted surfers as Vetea David, Raimana Van Bastoaler and Manoa Drollet. More than a surfer, he was Billabong XXL Tube of the Year champion in 2003, he also praticed kite surfing, and recently he set world-first record by tow-kiting into the wave at Teahupoo. He was sponsored by the surfwear brand Oxbow. 

In early October, Malik was one of the highlights in what is considered one of the best sessions of the history at Teahupoo, subsequently called "Bloody Sunday" by the international press. Last year, he was featured on the cover of a special issue of Surfer magazine riding a giant wave in Teahupoo, Tahiti. 

John Rowe photographer photo gallery: Tribute to Malik Joyeux at Teahupoo. A great waterman and a great human spirit... admired by those who saw him surf, loved by friends and family... God's Speed Malik, you will be missed.

Malik Joyeux's last wave at Pipeline Gallery by Cameron Nelson/Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Memorial image kindly provided by Eric Akiskalian Towsurfer.com (click to enlarge)

Noyade du surfeur tahitien Malik Joyeux   
 
HONOLULU (AP) - Malik Joyeux, surfeur professionnel tahitien âgé de 25 ans, s'est noyé vendredi après avoir été balayé par une vague au large d'Oahu dans l'archipel américain de Hawaï.

Malik Joyeux, originaire de l'île de Moorea en Polynésie française, n'a pas survécu après avoir passé une dizaine de minutes sous l'eau. Il a trébuché alors qu'il chevauchait une vague d'environ 2,50 mètres, selon le photographe Bruno Lemos qui se trouvait sur la plage au moment de l'accident. Selon lui, l'énorme lame s'est fracassée sur le surfeur, cassant sa planche en deux.

Après l'accident, plusieurs dizaines de surfeurs ont interrompu leur activité pour prier sur la plage en se tenant la main en formant un grand cercle.

Malik Joyeux était probablement le meilleur surfeur que la Polynésie ait engendré. Il avait débuté dès l'âge de huit ans, selon le site Internet de son commanditaire, Oxbow. En 2003, il avait remporté le prestigieux Billabong XXL Tube of the Year. L'an dernier, il avait fait la une d'un numéro spécial du magazine américain Surfer: on le voyait chevauchant une vague géante à Teahupoo en Polynésie. (Associated Press).

A última onda de Malik Joyeux

O surfista tahitiano Malik Joyeux, 25, faleceu nesta sexta-feira em Pipeline depois de cair numa onda. A informação foi transmitida por Dadá Pelosini, correspondente do site GZero no Hawaii e foi confirmada há poucos minutos por Bruno Lemos, correspondente do Waves.Terra no arquipélago.

De acordo com relatos de quem estava dentro do mar, o acidente aconteceu por volta de 10:30. Malik foi atingido pelo lip quando estava no tubo e a prancha partiu-se ao meio. Com a força da onda, a cordinha também arrebentou. Como ele não foi mais visto, foi feita uma verdadeira busca pelo atleta. Depois de 15 minutos, ele foi encontrado no beach break de Pupukea, à direita do pico de Pipeline, sendo retirado do mar em cima de um longboard.

Surfistas e paramédicos fizeram várias tentativas para reanimar o surfista, mas ele foi levado já sem vida para um hospital. Diante do clima de tristeza na praia, cerca de 60 surfistas retiraram-se do mar e ninguém mais voltou a pegar onda. Depois, os surfistas formaram uma roda na areia para fazer uma oração por Malik Joyeux. / Waves Brazil Network.

Full report     (Portuguese), ........ Translator here

Malik Joyeau : photo courtesy Tim McKenna

Surfersviillage and all the team wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and close friends of Malik. He was a light in our lives, and loved and respected by all who knew him. May his soul rest in peace.

Related reports;
Tragedy at Pipeline by Evan Slater/Surfing Magazine
Malik Joyeux dies while surfing Pipeline by Justin Cote/Transworld
Malik Joyeux dies at Pipeline / Staff-Surfer Magazine
A última onda de Malik Joyeux / Waves Brazil Network 
Triste nouvelle. Malik Joyeux décède à Pipeline FFS  
Tribute to Malik Joyeux at Teahupoo. Photo gallery by John Rowe
So long Malik Surf-Report.com France 
Tahiti's Malik Joyeux dies surfing Banzai Pipeline Zig Zag Magazine 
Pro Surfer Drowns at Pipeline  KHNL Honolulu
Noyade du surfeur polynésien Malik Joyeux Nouvel Observateur
Malik Joyeux - Le Petit Prince, est parti Oxbow.fr
Malik Joyeux Profile Oxbow International Surf Team / Oxbow.fr
Malik Joyeux articles, video, photos on Oxbow.fr website 
Death of the North Shore Surfline.com
Pro surfer dies at Banzai Pipeline Honolulu Adevrtiser
Kind surfer had bright future Star Bulletin

Check the latest Hawaii Surf Reports and Forecasts
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Compiled by O'Board's Surfing News

Sources: 
Honolulu Advertiser
Alain Cassiede / Edicom
Alceu Junior / Waves Brazil
Maverick Burns Hawaii Surf News
Eric Akiskalian / Towsurfer.com

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