According to his family, the surfer-turned-entrepreneur famous for traveling the world in search of the biggest waves has died at the age of 84 from natural causes.
- June 30, 2021
AceShowbiz - Big wave surfing legend Greg Noll has died, aged 84.
The entrepreneur turned his passion into a career, transforming the sport with his Greg Noll Surfboards and launching a surf apparel line.
He appeared in multiple cult surfing documentaries and served as James Mitchum's stunt double in 1964's "Ride the Wild Surf".
But he's most famous for travelling the world, searching for the biggest waves, and was one of the first to surf Waimea Bay on Oahu's North Shore in Hawaii following the death of Dickie Cross.
His surfing attempt there was caught on camera, becoming one of the most iconic surfing clips of all time.
Noll is also credited with being the first person to ride a wave at Oahu's Third Reef Pipeline at Hawaii's Makaha Beach in 1989, shortly before walking away from surfing to become a commercial and sports fisherman.
He returned to his first love to launch Greg Noll Surfboards with his son.
According to his website, he "started building custom surfboards out of Balsa wood in his parents' garage in Manhattan Beach California under the Noll name in 1951."
Greg's son Jed announced his passing on social media, "It is with a heavy heart the Noll family announces the death of our patriarch, Greg Noll. Greg died of natural causes on Monday June 28th, at the age of 84. We invite all of our friends and family to celebrate his life by sharing this post and your stories, pictures and experiences through your preferred platform. Aloha."
