📍Newport NSW 2106, Australia
1961 – 1983“Thomas Victor Carroll was born in Sydney in November 1961 and grew up in Newport, a beach suburb on Sydney's Northern Beaches, near the mouth of Pittwater, with his older brother, Nick, and their father, Vic Carroll, a leading newspaper editor. When Tom was eight, the family lost their mother to cancer, and Tom and Nick found solace in the waves in front of their house at Newport Beach. Tom began surfing at about eight, on a Coolite foam board, with the guidance of Col Smith, a talented surfer from Narrabeen who became his mentor. He went to Newport Public School and then Pittwater High School, and he surfed every morning before school, riding his bike to school and back. He and Nick became leaders of the Newport Peak crew, and Tom became the star of the Newport Plus boardriders club, a small, powerful goofy-footer who linked his moves smoothly and attacked waves with explosive energy. In 1977 he won the first Pepsi Pro Junior at Narrabeen, and he finished school before joining the professional tour. He joined the world tour in 1979, and in 1983 he won the world title, becoming the first goofy-footed world champion, and he won again in 1984. In 1985 he boycotted a contest in apartheid South Africa, a stand that cost him points but won wide respect. He became known for his fearless surfing at Pipeline and in giant waves, and he has spoken openly about his struggles with addiction and recovery. He still lives on the Northern Beaches, close to Newport.”
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