Ian Cairns

Who is Ian Cairns?

Ian Cairns is a former champion surfer who was also influential in establishing the world professional surfing circuit and particularly the World Championship Tour. He was described as "the premier “power” surfer of his era [who] dominated the North Shore during the mid to late-seventies".

He moved to Western Australia with his family from Victoria in early 1967, to Perth's western suburbs, attending Swanbourne Senior High School. Cairns dominated the surfing scene in his adopted state. From the age of 13 he consistently won every competition on offer, winning state Junior and Open titles. He moved to Hawaii in the early 1970s in search of big waves and before a professional circuit had established. Cairns joined the Australian team at the 1970 and 1972 World Surfing Championships and at Laniakea off Oahu in December 1973 he won the Smirnoff Pro event at Sunset Beach from Hawaiian Jeff Hakman. He won other big events in the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship in 1975 and World Cup events in 1976 and 1980.

In 1975 Cairns and fellow Australian Peter Townend devised a rating and scoring system for surfing events. In 1979 he moved to California and with Townend formed the National Scholastic Surfing Association. In 1983 he became the first director of the Association of Surfing Professionals of which he is a life member.