Surf World Mourns Death Of Legendary Filmmaker, Cinematographer Larry Haynes - Stab Mag

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Larry Haynes as captured by Jimmy Wilson in December.
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Surf World Mourns Death Of Legendary Filmmaker, Cinematographer Larry Haynes

After one final surf.

news // Feb 10, 2023
Words by Ashton Goggans
Reading Time: 2 minutes

It is with great sadness that we report that legendary filmmaker, North Shore pillar, and beloved water cinematographer Larry Haynes has died.

Just two days ago Haynes was right where the surfing world has come to expect him, shooting from the water during the Billabong Pro Pipeline. According to friends, yesterday Haynes was heading to surf Laniakea, before suffering a heart attack in his car.

“I just found out he suffered a heart attack in his car today after surfing Laniakea Beach,” Haynes close friend, and Steele Pulse guitarist David Elecciri Jr. wrote. “Just a few hours before, he had called me to have lunch and go for a surf at Lani’s.”

“These were the last messages he sent me before heading out for his surf. You just never know.. RIP Larry Haynes if you know Larry, then you know he was as strong and as real as they come. Loved by all.. Larry Helped film [Steel Pulse’s] video “RIZE” when we went up to Mauna Kea in 2018 with Thomas Desoto (@thomasdesoto) and Derek Hoffman @dhoff808. Such a legend in everyday.. he may be gone in the physical form but his spirit, presence, artwork and legacy will live forever.. untill we meet again brother Larry!”

Surfers who grew up in the 1990s will know Larry Haynes from his legendary underground surf film series Fluid Combustion.

Over the last decade, Haynes has been a perennial presence on the WSL camera crew, while working on Hollywood projects like Chasing Mavericks.

Haynes was profiled in 2019, in HBO’s TV series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel‘s (“Risky Business” segment of episode 265), alongside adventure photographers and cinematographers Jim Boole and Jimmy Chin.

“Haynes, a surf photographer of more than 30 years, is a fixture at Pipeline, the legendary and dangerous surf break on Oahu’s North Shore,” Outside Mag‘s Hayden Carpenter wrote. “Haynes has been slammed by Pipeline into the reef, cracking his helmet. But personal danger is only one side of the coin for extreme cameramen. The job also entails the emotional burden of potentially witnessing athletes and friends killed in action. For Haynes, this has happened twice: when he filmed the deaths of big-wave surfers Malik Joyeux in 2005 and Kirk Passmore in 2015. The emotion is still raw to this day, and he chokes up recounting the accidents…”

Rest in Power, Larry Haynes. His death leaves a massive hole in the North Shore surfing community. We’ve gathered some remembrances below:

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