He might have given up his Olympic swimming dream to return to a career in entertainment.

But there’s no keeping Cody Simpson away from the water, with the Australian music megastar a keen onlooker at the World Surf League Margaret River Pro on Thursday.

Simpson, 29, a one-time teen pop star who took a break from the entertainment business in 2019 in an unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics as a swimmer, was spotted mixing with surfers and their teams at the top of the Main Break steps during the early women’s heats.

He then posed for a photo with teenage Canadian Erin Brooks after her heat win over Australian surfing icon Stephanie Gilmore.

Simpson, who grew up a keen surfer on the Gold Coast, told a starstruck Brooks he had been impressed with how she had been “ripping” in the pumping Margaret River swell.

“It’s crazy, I used to listen to his music, and I watched him when he was in the qualifiers for the Olympics, and I couldn’t even believe it,” Brooks, 18, said of meeting one of her idols.

“To me those people are unreal, I couldn’t believe he was watching my heat. I feel like we should be watching him.”

Simpson, who has a 2013 album titled Surfers Paradise, has been known to take surfing trips to some of the world’s best breaks, including in Hawaii.

“Erin said she was following my journey as an athlete and swimmer so to see her and level she’s got to at such a young age, it’s really inspiring,” Simpson, who is in Margaret River as a VIP guest of the WSL, said. “To know she’s into what I do is pretty cool, so it was really nice to be able to meet her and chat to her after her heat win.”

Having split from Olympic swimming great Emma McKeon late last year, Simpson has moved back to Los Angeles to restart his music career after a hiatus to focus on swimming.

Most of the world’s best surfers, including local Jack Robinson, were in action at Margaret River on Thursday, in a marathon opening day of competition.

A record 28 heats were contested for the day as organisers looked to make the most of favourable conditions before the forecast changes later in the 10-day competition window.

Watch the Margaret River Pro live and free on 7PLUS.