A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Beschen, Shane

Powerful, basso-voiced goofyfoot pro surfer originally from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; world-ranked #2 in 2000, and described at that time by surf journalist Steve Barilotti as "possibly the best all-around surfer in the world after Kelly Slater."

Egan was born (1969) and raised in Newcastle, the son of Sam Egan, one of the area's first surfers and a nationally respected boardmaker. On the day Luke was born, Sam made him a 4' 3" surfboard, inscribed with the words "World Champion 2000." Egan began surfing at age seven; at 13 he gained admission to Merewether Boardriders, and was soon joined by up-and-coming local surfers Matt Hoy, Nick Wood, and Shane Powell, all of whom would compete successfully on the world tour.

Egan won Australia's prestigious Pro Junior event in 1988, two years after turning pro, and it was predicted that he'd cruise to the top of the world ratings. He became instead a perennial underachiever who year after year seemed out of focus or out of sync during competition. Egan himself didn't seem overly concerned, in part because his peers, along with the surf media, all recognized the thick-chested Australian (5' 11", 185 pounds) as a markedly gifted surfer, regardless of his contest record.

While expert in all facets of high-performance shortboard surfing, the Nordic-looking Egan was best known for power and understated flow. Riding in an easy, relaxed, slightly knock-kneed stance, his size-12 feet molded to the deck of his board, Egan regularly punctuated his line of motion with deeply inscribed turns. As a teenager he was often described as "the next Mark Occhilupo," and if Egan lacked the brilliance of the 1999 world champion, he nonetheless rode with the same force and control. He was seen at his best in surf videos like Jack McCoy's 

Egan cracked the top five for the first time in 1996, finishing the season ranked #4; in 1997, after 11 full years on the world tour, he at last won his first major event, the Quiksilver Grajagan Pro in Indonesia; in 2000 he won the Quiksilver Pro Fiji, and finished runner-up to Hawaii's Sunny Garcia for the world title, and the following year was the top vote-getter in 

 2001 Peer Poll. Egan finished third in the rankings in 2002, then retired front the tour after the 2005 season, at which point he became a marketing manager for longtime sponsor Billabong, as well as the personal coach for tour pro world title contender Joel Parkinson. In 2012 he was appointed as contest director for all Billabong-sponsored world tour events.

Egan, Luke

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

Features

Videos