That bottom turn is seared into the history books. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
In the pantheon of surf legends, Mark Occhilupo is somewhere near the top. He defined power surfing in an era of surfing defined by power, and although he did have a few years where his passion waned, Occy has been well and truly back for a long time now.
The 1999 World Champion won his first amateur contest at the tender age of 13. A few years later, he hit the ASP trials, made it to the top 16, and gained his seed onto the world stage. By the time he was 17, his mark was made. He hovered near the top of the rating, using his signature backside power to smash his way to success. That success proved difficult for the young surfer to deal with, and he fell into depression and substance abuse before quitting the World Tour.
After a few years in the doldrums, though, Occy decided enough was enough. He got back in shape and paddled back out at the pro level in 1995, then won his world title four years later at the age of 33.
Now officially retired, Occy hasn’t stopped surfing. The Raging Bull is raging harder than ever, and in Billabong’s latest homage, they “re-trace the footprints from Occ’s undeniable affinity with the ying and yang contrasts of these two iconic locations, Bells and Cloudbreak, encapsulating his eternal stoke for life and a display of surfing that can only be described as poetic.”
