Former CT Surfer Chris Davidson Passes Away At Age 45

Former CT surfer Chris Davidson has passed away after an altercation at a bar in New South Wales. 

Per 9 News Australia:

“Shortly after 11 PM (Saturday 24 September 2022), emergency services were called to Sportsmans Way, South West Rocks, after reports a man had allegedly been punched to the face outside a licenced premises and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the pavement.

Officers from Mid North Coast Police District attended and located a 45-year-old man unconscious.

He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Kempsey Hospital, where he died a short time later.

A man has been charged with assault causing death.”

The victim was Chris Davidson.

Davo was an former professoinal surfer from Narrabeen. He defeated Kelly Slater twice as a wildcard in the 1996 Bells Beach event— once on a borrowed board without a leash. He also traveled the world with Tom Curren for the early years of the Rip Curl Search, and amassed a reputation as a fiery, powerful rail surfer. Davo was on the WSL CT in 2010 and 2011, and his top result was a semifinal finish at the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

Like many other professional surfers of his era, Davidson’s life was littered with complexity. He racked up a string of drunk-driving offenses over the years, one of which included a car accident he was lucky to survive.

Life is a complicated task for any normal person, much less as a professional surfer who grew up in an era of glorified substance abuse. We have lost one of our own today.

Our hearts are with Chris’ loved ones.