A year has passed since the surfing world lost Shane Herring, but his memory still lives on in grainy contest clips, shaping bay experiments and forehand rail gauges. Herro was equal parts brilliance, chaos and what could have been.
“The best case scenario is to have a roof over your head, some good food, stay healthy and journey on.” It’s a line that feels even heavier now. Herring said it years after the spotlight had burned bright and faded again – a reflection that summed up a life spent navigating surfing’s strange mix of freedom and expectation.
Herring burst into the global surf conversation in 1992 when he stunned the tour by defeating a young Kelly Slater at the Coke Classic at Narrabeen Beach. It felt like the arrival of surfing’s next great talent – a raw, rail-carving power house who possessed a unique, one-of-a-kind style.
But while Herring’s surfing was effortless, the fame, money and attention that followed proved harder to navigate.
Still, what remains undeniable is the mark he left on surfing. Herro’s approach – powerful, committed and drawn deeply from the rail – gave his surfing a timeless quality. Even decades later, clips of him laying it on rail still feel modern.
You can revisit the highs and lows of Shane’s surfing career in Monty Webber’s film ‘Journey On Shane Herring’ which takes a deep dive into his time in the limelight through candid interviews from Shane himself, his mother, brother and long time shaper and friend Greg Webber.
Through countless archive footage of Shane laying it on rail, the film also acts as a reminder of his unique and raw style, which is best put by his brother Brett when he says: “I’ve seen him do manoeuvres in ’89 that guys still haven’t done now.” Journey on also explores Herro’s relationship with his shaper Greg Webber and the experimental board designs the pair worked on together, from the banana rocker to the baked bean board. Whatever shape it was, Shane seemed to make it work.
To remember the radical surfing of Shane Herring, click the link above to watch.
Rest easy Shane.
