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Rare Jose Angel model 11’4 balsa/redwood big wave gun shaped by Greg Noll in the mid 1980’s. This is an especially rare Greg Noll surfboard as just 25 Jose Angel model boards were made of wood. Featuring an incredibly sharp pintail outline with triple stringer design complete with solid redwood rails and redwood fin. A simply stunning work of art by the legendary surfer and shaper Greg Noll. Use as a functional big wave surfboard or decorative surfboard art piece!
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Jose Angel was raised in San Francisco, California where he was active in swimming, boxing, scuba diving, and tennis among more intellectual pursuits. Angel graduated college before surfing became his passion. While in college he met Mozelle Gooch who would later become his wife and introduce him to the sport of surfing. They moved to Hawaii together, were married in 1955, and had four children together.
The Angels moved to the North Shore of Oahu in the 1950’s and Mr. Angel became principal of Haleiwa elementary school. The powerful waves of the North Shore quickly drew Jose in. He became passionate about charging the biggest waves the island had to offer. Jose was known for sitting way outside of everyone else in the line up, waiting for the biggest and gnarliest waves of the day. He soon made a name for himself and eventually graced the cover of the very first Surfer magazine in 1960, featuring him backside on a huge wave at Sunset Beach. The legendary surfer and big wave riding pioneer Greg Noll called Angel “the gutsiest surfer there ever was.”
Jose Angel was also a fearless diver, regularly free diving 200 feet below the surface without scuba gear. In 1974, Jose was diving off the coast of Kauai when his right leg became partially paralyzed from a severe case of the bends. His injury severely affected his surfing ability so in turn he began pushing the limits of his free diving abilities more and more.
On July 24, 1976, Angel was diving off the coast of Maui and was reported to have gone more than 300 feet below the surface. That was the last anyone saw of him. His body was never recovered. Jose Angel will always be remembered as one of the true legends of big wave surfing.
