Cory Lopez was born on March 21, 1977, in Dunedin, Florida, and learned to surf at Sebastian Inlet with his older brother, Shea. Both brothers went on to surf the world tour.

He joined the tour in 1997 and finished third in the world in 2001. His late drop into a giant Teahupoʻo wave at the Gotcha Tahiti Pro became one of the defining images in surfing and earned him Surfer’s “Guts” award. His wins include the Billabong Pro Tahiti and the U.S. Open, and he won three X Games gold medals.

On Nalu TV he surfs alongside the Irons brothers in films from the Adrenaline Surf Series to 2000 Generation, The Exploders and All Aboard, and in Bill Ballard’s Insanity and Revelation.

He was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 2016 and runs Nekton Surf Shop in Indian Rocks Beach.