David grew up in Hawaii. Source: Twitter.
Kalani David passed away on Monday after allegedly suffering a seizure while he was practicing in surf off Costa Rica.
David’s close friend and sports photographer Peter King confirmed the news in an Instagram post, calling it “heart-breaking”.
“Kalani passed away in Costa Rich today, he had a massive seizure while surfing,” King said.
“He had reconnected with family there and was having such a great time. I’ll always remember your stoke when we’d shoot skate n surf and how much hope you had for the future.
“God Bless the family and extended family that were always there for you.”
An investigation has been launched into the exact cause of his death.
The champion surfer had suffered from a condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White-Syndrome.
David explained the disease to Surfer Magazine, following a serious seizure in 2016.
“[It] messes up the electricity that runs through my heart,” he said.
“It causes an extra muscle to form on your heart, and that thing speeds your heart rate up way too high, so I have to get surgery to remove the muscle.”
Kalani David talks about waves, groms and what to do when there's no surf in his hometown on the North Shore of Oahu. Video by Peter King pic.twitter.com/bFtKgAKMKz
— World Surf League (@wsl) January 10, 2019
Surfing greats paid tribute to the 24-year-old, including Kelly Slater.
“Kalani was one of the most talented ever surfer/skaters on Earth, constantly pushing the limits every time he was on his feet,” he said om social media.
“Condolences to the huge community of friends Kalani had coast to coast and across the globe.”
Also offering his condolences to Kalani David was Australian Mick Fanning, who posted on King’s Instagram post.
“Far out that’s heart-breaking,” he said.
“He was a great kid. That’s really sad. I remember him coming round to our Red Bull house in Hawaii as a 12-year-old and I was cooking a barbecue.
“Gave him some food and he automatically did the dishes without having to ask but was classic at that age.
“He’d come check in most nights to see what was on for dinner, hoping it was another barbecue – haha always enjoyed chatting to him.”
