A profound sadness permeates the surfing community, for they have suffered the loss of a pioneer, Naohisa Ogawa, a.k.a. Silver Bullet. The news has left the surfing fraternity devastated, as fans are grappling with the sudden demise of the Japanese surfing legend. Along similar lines, Hawaiian surfer Liam McNamara also got deeply affected by the loss of Ogawa, as they shared a close-knit friendship for over three decades. 

Following Ogawa’s unfortunate passing, the surfing realm was left to ponder over the legacy of the Silver Bullet. As the community lost its treasured gem today, Liam McNamara shared a heartfelt note.

Liam McNamara paid his heartfelt tributes

Liam McNamara, the 1990 Pipe champion, shared a series of photos, reminding everyone that life is precious. McNamara took to his Instagram to post about the passing of his true best friend. Naohisa Ogawa battled colon cancer for the last few years. However, in 2021, he underwent successful colon cancer surgery with preventive anticancer treatment. Although the surgery was a success, fate had other plans. 

Expressing his earnest eulogies, McNamara penned, “Life is precious! Today I got the news that one of my true best friends for over 30 years has moved on! Naohisa Ogawa “Silver Bullet” passed away!”. Ogawa’s chrome helmet earned him the nickname Silver Bullet, but beyond his accomplishments, he was a humble person as McNamara added,“ Nao was the most genuine soft spoken respectful guy you would ever meet! He would also smile at you and say hi in or out of the water.”

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The Japanese surfer, along with Takayuki Wakita and Atsushi Imamura, formed a fearless trio of Japanese chargers in the surfing world, pushing each other to incredible heights.

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Ogawa made his mark in surfing, as he was not only regarded as a pipeline specialist but he also was deemed as the Japanese surfing champion. As the champion left the world for his heavenly abode, fans and social media cult expressed their encomiums for the legend.

The surfing community mourns the loss of Silver Bullet

Naohisa’s kind words left a lasting impression on everyone, leading to many comments on McNamara’s social media post. One surfing enthusiast wrote, “ Rest East buddy, one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. So full of positivity and smiles. He lives life and surfing more than most. He will truly be missed.” another one commented, “Rip legend.”

It was unbelievable for some as they stated, “No way, one of the nicest guys.”, “ God receive him well” .

Ogawa will surely be missed by the community as one of the nicest people ever as a fan wrote, “ The sweetest guy, the biggest heart we will always cherish the times we got to live with our families together, forever in our hearts.” 

Fans and loved ones of Ogawa recall pleasant memories in the comment section, one said, ” I recall the year that the Pipemasters was invitational. If memory serves me right, Naohisa got a 10, a 9.9, and a 9.8 all in the same heat. Legendary performance in big waves too.” Praising Naohisa, his competitor commented, ” Ogawa was a great surfer super dedicated to the sport I had the opportunity to meet him in 1990 at the Mundial Isagames and then we competed together for a few years on the circuit an outstanding person.” 

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