Derek Ho, 1993 World Champ and 4x Triple Crown winner, reportedly passed away yesterday afternoon, on July 17th. According to KHON News, the 55-year-old Pipe legend and uncle to pro surfers Mason and Coco Ho, had suffered a heart attack.

The stylish goofyfoot leaves behind a legacy of incredible Pipe feats and a community of friends and loved ones on the North Shore. Ho became a standout at Pipeline as a teenager, and by his early 20s, he had already charged his way to a Pipe Masters win. At 29, he became Hawaii’s first male world champ. Up until this last winter, Ho was regularly seen packing some of the heaviest waves during the season’s best swells.

Photo Credit: Ryan Craig

Derek Ho, slotting himself into one the swell’s best waves this past February, just like he had been doing for the past few decades.

“…Ho was quick-footed, with a sharp, angular, slightly formulated attack,” writes Matt Warshaw in the “Encyclopedia of Surfing“. “Tuberiding was his strength, and in hollow waves, especially at Pipeline, he rode with sublime precision and elegance. Two-time world champion Tom Carroll was Ho’s equal at Pipeline, but the Australian’s approach was rougher and more power-driven, whereas Ho time and again drew perfect lines through the deepest part of the wave—updating the approach invented by ’70s Pipeline ace Gerry Lopez.”

Derek Ho, steezily landing the cover of SURFER mag the year after winning his first Pipe Masters

Friends and family have begun expressing their condolences for the Ho family and honoring Derek’s legacy via Instagram. Our thoughts go out to the Ho family and everyone in the North Shore community.

Photo Credit: Ryan Craig

Ho, alongside friend and fellow icon Herbie Fletcher during a recent Wave Warriors gathering.

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