{{for|the Scottish actor|Ian Cairns (actor)}} {{Short description|Australian surfer (born 1952)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}} {{Infobox surfer | name = Ian Cairns | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1952|07|24}} | birth_place = [[Kew, Victoria]], Australia | stance = Regular (natural foot) }}

'''Ian Cairns''' (born 24 July 1952 in [[Kew, Victoria]]) is a former champion [[surfer]] who was also influential in establishing the world professional surfing circuit and particularly the [[World championship tour (WCT) surfing|World Championship Tour]]. He was described as "the premier "power" surfer of his era [who] dominated the [[North Shore (Oahu)|North Shore]] during the mid to late-seventies".<ref name=shf>{{cite web | url = http://www.hsssurf.com/shof/?p=217 | title = Kanga to enter the Surfer' Hall of Fame this Summer | accessdate = 19 April 2012 | date = 9 February 2010 | work = Surfers' Hall of Fame}}</ref>

Growing up in the Sydney suburb of Avalon where he first learned to surf, Cairns moved to [[Western Australia]] with his family in early 1967, to [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]]'s western suburbs, attending [[Shenton College|Swanbourne Senior High School]].{{cn|date=December 2022}} Cairns dominated the surfing scene in his adopted state. From the age of 13 he consistently won every competition on offer, winning state Junior and Open titles. He moved to [[Hawaii]] in the early 1970s in search of big waves and before a professional circuit had established.<ref name="wais">''W.A. Hall of Champions'' inductee booklet. (2006) Published by the [[Western Australian Institute of Sport]]</ref> Cairns joined the Australian team at the 1970 and 1972 World Surfing Championships and at [[Laniākea Beach|Laniakea]] off [[Oahu]] in December 1973 he won the [[Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships|Smirnoff Pro]] event at [[Sunset Beach (Oahu)|Sunset Beach]] from Hawaiian [[Jeff Hakman]].<ref name="surfline">{{cite web | url=http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=776|title=Ian Cairns (July&nbsp;24, 1952– )|author=Jason Borte|date=July 2001|accessdate=14 November 2007|work=Surfline}}</ref> He won other big events in the [[Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship]] in 1975 and World Cup events in 1976 and 1980.

In 1975, Cairns and fellow Australian [[Peter Townend (surfer)|Peter Townend]] devised a rating and scoring system for surfing events. In 1979, he moved to [[California]] and with Townend formed the [[National Scholastic Surfing Association]] (NSSA).<ref name="surfline" /> In 1983 he became the first director of the [[Association of Surfing Professionals]] (ASP) of which he is a life member.

He returned to Australia in 1986 where he farmed at [[Margaret River, Western Australia]]. In 1996 he returned to California where he now lives with his wife Alisa Schwarzstein, his son Jonathon (daughter Amy lives in Australia) and twin sons.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

Alisa Schwarzstein is a former ASP professional. She was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame as that year's Woman of the Year in 2012; the Walk is in Huntington Beach, California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/woman/Alisa_Cairns.html |title=Woman of the Year – Alisa Schwarzstein-Cairns 2012|access-date =20 February 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821223215/http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/woman/Alisa_Cairns.html |archive-date=21 August 2014 }}</ref>

Cairns is currently Head Coach of the [[PacSun]] USA Surf Team.<ref>{{cite news | title = Surfing America introduces the 2012 PacSun USA Surf Team | date = 29 June 2011 | url = http://surf.transworld.net/1000133646/news/surfing-america-introduces-usa-surf-team/ | work = TransWorld Surf | accessdate =20 February 2017}}</ref>

Cairns was inducted into the [[Western Australian Hall of Champions]] in 1990, into the [[U.S. Open of Surfing#Surfing Walk of Fame)|Surfing Walk of Fame]] at Huntington Beach, California, as a Surf Champion in 2010, and into the [[U.S. Open of Surfing#Surfers' Hall of Fame|Surfers' Hall of Fame]], also in 2010.<ref name=shf/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/champion/Ian_Cairns.html | title = Ian Cairns 2010 | accessdate = 6 January 2011 | date = 5 August 2010 | publisher = Surfing Walk of Fame | archive-date = 16 September 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100916072509/http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/champion/Ian_Cairns.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> The Western Australian Surfers' and Waveriders' Association awards the '''Ian Cairns Award''' to the Western Australian male surfer of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srosurf.com/wasawa/wasaic.html|title=The Ian Cairns Award|work=wasawa|accessdate=14 November 2007}}</ref>

==See also== * [[Shaun Tomson]] * [[Mark Richards (surfer)|Mark Richards]] * [[Bustin Down The Door]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0129069}} *{{WSL profile|5379<!-- /ian-cairns -->}}

{{s-start}} {{s-ach|ach}} {{Succession box | title = [[World Surf League#WSL Championship Tour Champions|Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships World Champion]] | years = 1973 | before = [[Jimmy Blears]] | after = [[Reno Abellira]] }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, Ian}} [[Category:1952 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Australian surfers]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Perth, Western Australia]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Melbourne]] [[Category:World Surf League surfers]] [[Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]