Australian surf legend Shane Herring, once seen as the country’s answer to American powerhouse Kelly Slater, has died aged 53.

He fell down some stairs and hit his head at his home on Sunday, Surfing Life Magazine and Swell Net reported. 

Herring was born on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in 1971 and first learnt to surf when his family moved to Dee Why.

His innovative style of surfing spearheaded his brief but bright career and, alongside Slater, created a shift in technique and approach in the early 90s.

Herring triumphed against Slater during the debut Coca-Cola Classic world championship tour at North Narrabeen in 1992.

But, by the following year, his rankings began to slide until he was unrated by 1995. He struggled with addiction.

Herring lived quietly on the North Coast, occasionally going out on the water for a surf with friends and shaping boards ahead of his death.

Slater paid tribute to his old rival in a social media post, remembering him for blending the old-school power and pure lines with the new-school mentality and speed in the 1990s.

“In the years we spent traveling and surfing together, I always found Shane to be a kindhearted guy and an extremely talented surfer, but he had his demons that limited his time of greatness,” he said.

“He loved the purity in surfing and was uncomfortable with the limelight and notoriety and scrutiny it brought him.

“He made a bigger mark than he might be known for these days and it hurts to know we won’t get to catch up again.

“I was really looking forward to seeing and maybe even surfing again in the coming months with Shane, whom I haven’t seen in probably 20+ years.”

Finishing up this tribute, Slater said: “Ride on, Shane. We’re thinking of ya.”

Surfing World Magazine has described Herring as “one of Australian surfing’s most blinding talents, and one of its happiest tragic figures”.

“A surfing talent like few we’d ever seen in Australian surfing, Herro burned brief but bright in the early ’90s before flaming out,” the publication wrote.

Justin Crawford said his friend Herring was a “true gentleman never said bad by anyone except concaves in surfboards”.

“Rest easy my friend. We had a beautiful friendship and I treasure every colour of the rainbow (you) were. There will be only one,” he said.