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Troy Hirst has passed away. The New Zealand surfer’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the New Zealand, Australian and Indonesian surfing communities.
Hailing from the North Island coastal community of Muriwai, Hirst rose through the grom ranks in New Zealand, with his crowning competitive achievement winning the Open Men’s National Title in 1993 at the age of 18. Soon after, he would depart New Zealand for Australia, and eventually land in Indonesia. In the process, he traded the competitive circuit for freesurfing and spent over 20 years in the surfboard manufacturing industry.
At the time of publication, there have been no confirmed reports of his cause of death.
“With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Troy Hirst,” wrote Rip Curl Indonesia in a social media post. “Troy was a devoted father to Mikayla and Westen, and a cherished member of the Lakey Peak, Bali, and New Zealand surfing communities. Through his kindness, friendship, and love of surfing, he touched the lives of many and leaves behind a lasting legacy.”
The Maori Bay Board Riders Club, which counted Birst as one of its founding members, posted its own heartfelt tribute to him on Facebook. “Troy left an indelible mark on Māori Bay and the Muriwai community as well as surfing in NZ and abroad,” wrote the organization. “He influenced many of the up-and-coming groms at the Bay back in the day who looked up to him as he pushed the bar constantly and pushed them to become better surfers. From his success through the ranks as a junior surfer to the pinnacle of winning the Open Men’s National Title at 18 years old in 1993 (a feat that was only broken in 2005), Troy was a massively talented surfer that carved out a legendary status in heavy barreling waves of consequence, particularly at his spiritual home of Lakey Peak and was someone who was never afraid to hit the lip hard or pull in to giant caverns. But beyond that, perhaps Troy’s greatest achievement was being a loving son, brother, father and husband as well as a great friend to many, as we have seen with the outpouring of grief and remembrance over the past few days from the many people that knew Troy or had crossed paths with him over the years.”
