Jimmy Hall Tribute
Jimmy Hall
1966 - 2007
May 9th, 2007 will be remembered as a very sad day.
Adventurer Jimmy Hall was killed in a tragic accident north of the Arctic Circle. Jimmy was in a very remote area near Sam Fjord on Baffin Island in Canada filming a documentary on the region that included base jumping from the incredibly harsh mountains. Jimmy died during one of those base jumps. The area is so remote, it's only accessible by plane, snowmobile, and then dogsled.
Jimmy was embarking on a new career. Having just been chosen as a host for Shark Week on DISCOVERY CHANNEL, he had just completed part of the series in the Bahamas. He was scheduled to head to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia in June, to swim with Great White sharks. The series was to air in late summer 2007.
Born in 1966, Jimmy was at home in and near the ocean. He spent most of his life on the North Shore of Oahu, but traveled all over the world experiencing "once in a lifetime" adventures. He's paraglided off an active volcano in Peru and the 22-thousand foot summit of Huascaran in the Andes.
While on his adventures, Jimmy met Stefanie Brendl, who has become his partner, girlfriend and fellow adventurer for over ten years. You can see Jimmy and Stefanie running down the side of the volcano, as it erupts and spews hot, molten lava all around them.
Jimmy once set sail in his 30 foot Ericson sloop from Hawaii for six years and 14,000 miles through the Pacific and Southeast Asia. To see some of his amazing photos, go to www.seatoskyproductions.com
Jimmy was a celebrity in Hawaii, running Hawaii Shark Encounters and defending the always maligned reputation of sharks. He was passionate about the environment, the ocean, and the aquatic life below the surface. He became well known around the world when he swam and videotaped the first-ever Great White Shark off Hawaii. He appeared on TODAY SHOW, CNN, INSIDE EDITION, and many other programs.
Most of all, Jimmy will be remembered for being an amazing person and friend. Everyone who has met him, immediately was drawn to his personality and humbleness. He would give the shirt off his back and his last dollar to anyone in need, asking for nothing in return.
Ultimately, Jimmy died doing what he loved. In fact, in an interview on CNN he summed up his "adventurous" lifestyle: "I'd rather blow up than rust."
If you'd like to leave comments about Jimmy for Stefanie and his family, you can visit his MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/hawaiisharkencounters
