Koby & Bruce,Teahupoo. Photo: Joli

Probably most famous for his role in the movie Bra Boys, Maroubra’s Koby Abberton first shot to prominence winning the ‘98 Gotcha Tahiti Pro, the event that unveiled how heavy the Tahitian break was to the larger surfing public. Hailing from a far from idyllic domestic situation as a kid (he was born at home since his heroin addict mother didn’t want to go to hospital in case she ‘got in trouble’), along with a crew of slab chargers from Maroubra that championed Kernell point slab ours, Abberton is best know for tube riding ridiculously gnarly slabs and reefs, having various run-ins with the law, a series of not-backing-down beefs with one particularly celebrated heavy Hawaiian, and generally living a life a far cry from the clichéd beach bum hippy surfer.