Words: Joel Gray Photo: GB Surfing
There has been an enormous outpouring of love, grief and respect this past week for 28 year old British surfer Arran Strong. Arran tragically went missing at sea in Portugal during a long distance training exercise with his longtime coach and mentor Jose Pyrrait. Arran was born with a rare genetic disorder that affected his liver and lungs but he refused to let this define him. Born in southern Spain Arran was introduced at a young age to surfing by his English Mother before moving to Portugal as a teenager. A regular competitor in the UK, Arran represented Surfing England at Junior level and then Great Britain at both the 2024 and 2025 ISA World Championships. On both occasions he was GB’s highest ranked male surfer.
Arran’s surfing came alive in heavy end sections and over the last few years he was excelling in large hollow waves and super slabs. His highlight clips from Coxos, Supertubos and Puerto Escondido are as impressive as his ISA World Championship run in 2024 where he came so close to qualifying for the Olympics with a 25th place. Back in 2022 at the WSL QS event in Azores the event was called off due to super huge storm swells all waiting period. Pretty much the whole of the tour decamped to a secret spot that was perfect but huge with 10ft freight train lefts running along the cliff line. A whole load of Europes best made excuses and watched from the rocks but a fair few gave it a paddle out having a look and surfing tentatively. Arran was in the minority that day, quietly paddling out, taking off deep and weaving lines across multiple perfect waves with confidence and skill. Arran was very much a surfers’ surfer who walked the walk. Arran was also very much a character that talked the talk. A supremely popular figure and seemingly close friend with everyone in any athlete area or core scene car park around the world. It seemed like Arran thrived on connection and it was also something that came very naturally to him. Arran was confident in himself and happy to turn up wearing a hat he bought in the backstreets of Mexico and some crazy shirt he’d grabbed from a Californian pawn shop. He was disciplined with his training routines and while others checked in on social media you may well have found him burning Palo Santo and talking about energy channels. Arran loved food and would love to cook for the whole crew around him at any opportunity helping build the human bonds that we all thrive on. He also lived a life where more than once he’d get deviated from his journey, sidetracked with some new connection and happy to disappear for some nights creating more tales for another day. Arran dedicated himself passionately to his health and wellbeing and he was ferociously fit, challenging himself to Ironman events, big wave training and long distance sea paddles at will. Following an epileptic fit in 2018 Arran had to take a whole year off surfing - his well documented resilient recovery resulted in a man keen to take and any and all opportunities in front of him.
The outpouring of love and respect online on social media this week has been broad and varied. Arran went through life with positive energy, supportive of his friends and peers and always keen to scratch deeper into conversations to understand people, places and himself more. Arran very much faced head on any challenges that he faced and he made the most of the opportunities that came his way. Arran smiled a lot and was happy and made his friends feel loved and respected and he had a lot of friends. He will be greatly missed.
He is a huge loss to our broad surfing community and our supportive thoughts are with his closest friends and family including his mother Shane and son Henry.
Following a paddle out in Portugal on Saturday a further celebratory paddle out is planned for Tuesday 4th August 6pm at North Fistral with all welcome to join either in water with boards or on shore.
