Surfing Legend Found Dead After Surfing Alone in Ponte Vedra

Legendary surfer, Joe Roland, was recently found dead on Florida shore after going surfing alone.

Ocean waves / Unsplash

Famed surfer, Joe Roland, recently lost his life while surfing alone in Ponte Vedra, Florida. On Thursday, the 73-year-old legend was found deceased on the Ponte Vedra shore with his surfboard still secured to his ankle, as confirmed by St. Johns County Fire Rescue.

When visitors noticed his body, they immediately began CPR and medical personnel were called at approximately 8 a.m. However, Roland was declared dead at the scene. His cause of death is unknown at this time and an investigation is underway.

Over the years, Joe Roland has made an impressive name for himself in the surfing community. At age 13, Roland began his surfing journey. When he was 17-years-old, he became the first men's champion of the East Coast Surfing Association. After years of training and success, he was inducted into the East Coast Surf Legends Hall of Fame in 1998.

As written by Surfer Magazine in 1968, "There isn't a surfer in the East who can put his board into a given position on a wave faster or with greater confidence than Joe. When Joe is hot and surfing radically, he can't be touched."

Surfer Mitch Kaufmann told First Coast News that Roland was a Ponte Vedra resident and regular surfer at the beach.

"He surfed like a teenager, on a board shorter than he was - even into his seventies," said Kaufmann.

Mickey Ross, Roland's longtime friend, shared that the two of them went surfing together every Tuesday. He stated, "We maintained doing that, and Joe still surfed as well as he did as a teenager, and still rode a shortboard. He could probably out-paddle someone half his age."

It is no secret that Joe Roland is an icon in the surfing community. His skill, passion, and pure grit has carried him far in his career. Kaufmann explained that when Roland's family is ready, they will participate in a traditional paddle-out ceremony in memory of him.