- Shane Herring was a surfing cult hero
- Beat Kelly Slater at his peak in early 1990s
- Sadly struggled with addictions in life
Aussie surfing icon Layne Beachley has paid tribute to Shane Herring, who died following a bizarre accident at his apartment on Sunday.
It is understood he had a fall at home, complained about having a sore head and went to have a rest.
Tragically, Herring never woke up.
Herring, 53, grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches and famously won the Coke Surf Classic in 1992 at Narrabeen.
He beat then surfing prodigy Kelly Slater in the final – and the laid-back Herring found himself ranked the number one surfer in the world.
Sadly, addiction struggles with drugs and alcohol saw Herring never realise his potential, and Beachley said he will be missed by the surfing fraternity.
‘He was super dynamic….an aggressive surfer,’ Beachley, a seven-time world champion, told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I spent a lot of time with him, he was always supportive of me.
‘Surfing was Shane’s safe place, it was his family and gave him a sense of belonging.’
Aussie surfing icon Layne Beachley has paid tribute to Shane Herring, (pictured) who died following a bizarre accident at his apartment on Sunday
Beachley labelled Herring ‘super dynamic and an aggressive surfer’
