HallMemorialSt
Several hundred friends and family members of photographer, videographer, and adventurer Jimmy Hall gathered in the waters of Haleiwa, Hawaii, as Hall’s ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, May 20.
The memorial service celebrated the life of Hall, a longtime cruiser and avid waterman known for his seemingly fearless dedication to capturing stunning images on film.
Hall was killed on May 9 during a BASE jump from a half-mile-high cliff on Baffin Island while filming an ecological adventure in the Arctic. The 41-year-old was slated to become a host for the Discovery Channel’s popular Shark Week this summer.
After several years working as a young tug captain in Hawaii, Hall set out across the Pacific in 1995 aboard his 30-foot Ericson sloop Hoku Pa’a, his home for five years. His sailing and paragliding adventures during that time
led to several magazine articles, videos and television specials. After cruising, he settled in Hawaii, where he started a shark diving tour operation, Shark Encounters.
His recent article in the April 2007 issue of Cruising World described his encounters with whales, oceanic sunfish, and sharks, including a 17-foot great white that Hall famously petted off the coast of Hawaii in 2005. His Cruising World cover story in September 2001 traced his sailing, surfing, and paragliding adventures in Micronesia
and Indonesia.
Although friends and family mourned the loss of a man they say brought inspiration to their own lives, the memorial service– which featured skydivers, board sailors, live music and dozens of boats of all sizes- was regarded as a celebration of life, a life lived to the fullest. To learn more about the Jimmy’s life, you can visit the memorial website, www.jimmyhalltribute.com.
A non-profit group to promote shark research and education has been established in memory of Hall. People wishing to make donations can send donations to: Shark Allies Fund, First Hawaiian Bank, 66-135 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712.
