Favorite surf spot: Hawaii
Influenced by: Nat Young
Another native Australian, Cairns burst onto the surfing scene in the late '60s and was known for his strength derived from a 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame.
Cairn started out by shaping boards after completing high school and soon earned a place on the Australian team that competed in international contests. He went on to win the Duke Kahanamoku Classic in Hawaii and was two-time winner of the World Championship.
Cairns and fellow Aussie Pete "PT" Townend helped set up the first Australian Professional Surfing Assn. and a scoring system. They also tried to form the "Bronzed Aussies" team to improve surfing awareness and financial prospects for surfers. But the idea failed to catch on.
Later, Cairns went on to perform in the 1978 surf flick "Big Wednesday" and decided to move from Down Under to California. After stints as professional manager and growing grapes, Cairns shuffled between Australia and the United States, and finally decided to settle down in Laguna Beach in 1996.
Cairns is also credited with helping to move along the careers of Kelly Slater and Rob Machado when he became director of the Bud Tour.
He's married to Alisa Schwarzstein Cairns and has two children from a previous marriage.
7. Timmy Turner
Favorite surf spots: Indonesia and Mexico
Influenced by: Travis Potter
There are few people that better epitomize the Surf City soul surfer than Huntington Beach wildman Timmy Turner. His mom Michelle owns and operates one of the most popular surf hangouts in Huntington Beach, the Sugar Shack, while his dad runs beach operations for the city of Huntington Beach.
Coached by Andy Verdone at Huntington Beach High School, Turner first caught the attention of the surfing film world with his vivid surf-travel flick "Second Thoughts," a surreal journey taking Turner into the abandoned isles of Indonesia with his crew of Huntington Beach surfers. The pack captured the imagination of the stateside surfer, sending back images of hallow barrel rides and near starvation as the pack tried to live off the land.
Turner made headlines recently when he succumbed to an aggressive staph infection and fell into a coma around Christmas time. Turner's family and the surfing community rallied around the Quiksilver-sponsored surfer and helped raise money for his treatment. After months of recovering, Turner first paddled back into the water this June. His new film, "Tsunami Diaries," is out on DVD right now.
8. Corky Carroll, 58
