His surfing career was kickstarted in 1996 when at 19-years-old he was granted a wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach where he famously defeated Kelly Slater in two consecutive heats.
In 2010 he was ranked number 14 globally in the sport of surfing.
He was a member of the Rip Curl Search team in the early 1990s.
Tracks magazine described him as "one of the most gifted surfers in the world" at the peak of his career.