Mark Occhilupo, the goofy-footed surf prodigy from Sydney who shot from nowhere to the top of world surfing in the 1980s then, with depression and alcohol taking their toll on a young man in the public eye, quit the tour and headed home to Cronulla.

Years later, having gained significant weight and placed himself on the margins of the sport, his pro surfing career appeared over before Gordon Merchant, founder of "Occy's" major sponsor Billabong, sent him to live and train with surf filmmaker Jack McCoy and his family in Western Australia.

Occhilupo cleaned himself up, shed 34kg of the 111kg he took with him, got his mojo back and got back on the board with his drive revived, a remarkable effort that resulted in him winning at Bells Beach and then the world title in 1999 at age 33.

As for whether it's the greatest comeback, well, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali and of course Bethany Hamilton might like to have a word about that. But Occhilupo's story has to be up there.

"I look back at this period as one of the most amazing experiences of my life and to have it documented in such a way is so special," Occhilupo, now pushing 60, said.

"I can't believe it's been 25 years but it's going to be great to hit the road with Jack and friends to celebrate the occasion with the surfing tribe."

McCoy, who documented Occhilupo's comeback in the film Occy: the Occumentary, has now remastered the movie for a 25^th anniversary comeback tour of his own.

"Occy managed to do what many believed was the impossible. It's truly one of the most inspirational and motivational stories in the history of Australian sport," McCoy said.

"I've spent hundreds of hours blowing up the film from its original VHS release as a 4:3 aspect, to 16.9 widescreen.

"When I watched it back for the first time it was like watching a whole new movie. People's minds are going to be blown."

They will be at the Gala Cinema in Warrawong to speak at the film's screening, taking questions from the audience after the show.

Occhilupo spoke openly about his problems with depression and alcohol addiction in 2022, by which stage he had been sober three years.

The tour schedule reads like a list of east coast surf hotspots, from the Gold Coast and Byron Bay to Wollongong and the northern beaches of Sydney. Newcastle and Avoca Beach are there and it finishes, of course, in Lorne, not far from Bells.

OCCY the Occumentary screens at the Gala Cinema in Warrawong on Wednesday, May 8 at 8pm. Tickets $35.