Aussie surfing legend Alan Green, co-founder of Quiksilver, dies after short battle with cancer

Australian surfing pioneer Alan Green, who co-founded Quiksilver, has died aged 77.

Tributes have poured in from around the country and the world, with surfing icon Kelly Slater mourning his mate on Thursday.

“Love you, Greeny. You were one of a kind and a great friend and mentor for so many. I’ll miss you forever,” Slater wrote.

Surfing Australia Hall of Famer Rod Brooks said Green died at his home in Torquay in Victoria after “a relatively short battle with several types of cancer”.

“The world ‘legend’ gets thrown around a lot in the surfing scene but yesterday, 14th January 2024, a true legend — the founder of Quiksilver — passed away,” Brooks said.

“Alan ‘Greeny’ Green helped introduce Rip Curl wetsuits and quickly switched to his own new Quiksilver boardshort business at just 22 years of age.

“At the end of 1969, Greeny started making boardshorts in a small rented holiday house in Torquay.

“Green’s early boardshort designs were unique for that time. He introduced a Velcro fly with two press studs, constructed yoke waistbands, and a scalloped leg with binding — features that, in 1970-71, were new a fresh.

“His designs quickly caught the eye of visiting interstate and overseas surfing champions at Bells Beach.

“Soon, Quiki shorts were appearing in surf movies and surf magazines all over the world.

“In the meantime, Greeny had taken on a partner — Victorian surfing champion John Law — and together they built the brand over the next 40 years.”

Quiksilver remains a key player in global surfing.

“RIP. Thank you Greeny for your relentless vision (and mountains and waves of the rest),” Australian surfing great Tom Carroll said.

Green is survived by his wife Barbara and their three children Fletcher, Holly and Roxy, whose name became synonymous with surfing as the title of Quiksilver’s women’s line.