MORE than 150 West Australian surfers formed a huge sea circle off Geraldton yesterday in an emotional tribute to former West Coast star Chris Mainwaring.

Mainwaring's parents Hub and Leah watched from the beach as their second son, Glenn, former Eagle Craig Turley and an army of Mainwaring's surfing mates paddled out behind the break at Back Beach yesterday morning.

Mainwaring grew up in the mid-west West Australian town before moving to Perth where he became a dual premiership star with the Eagles and later a presenter on commercial television. The 41-year-old died early last Monday morning after collapsing at his home in the upmarket Perth beachside suburb of Cottesloe.

Hundreds of people are expected at a public memorial service for him at Christ Church Grammar School's chapel today, with giant television screens being set up outside to cope with the huge numbers.

Geraldton Board Riders Club president Sam Salmond spoke movingly of Mainwaring's love for the surf.

"He just always went surfing, that was one of his other passions," Salmond said.

"It's fitting to send off a surfer with a paddle out tribute because the ocean was the other playing field that Chris really loved."

As the soundtrack of the 1970s surfing film classic Morning of the Earth drifted across the water, Mainwaring's brother threw a wreath into the middle of the ring of surfies.

After a minute's silence, 41 balloons were released, each representing a year of Mainwaring's life.

"Chris' parents loved it, they were just beaming," Salmond said.

"There were tears for sure, but at the same time there was a lot of grinning and shouting and punching of the air and yelling out 'Mainy' and 'Go Eagles'."

Hub Mainwaring said afterwards he wanted a public inquest to put an end to rumours and lies circulating about his son's death.

He said Chris had been very depressed over a recent rift with West Coast. The club has acknowledged there had been some tension over Mainwaring's role in the revelations about troubled star Ben Cousins's drug problems in April, but that was all in the past.

Mainwaring also reportedly had financial problems and died of a heart attack following a weekend ecstasy and cannabis binge. Mainwaring's father said the most hurtful rumour was that his son had taken his own life.

An autopsy has been carried out and toxicology tests were expected to determine whether drugs were involved.

WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has said a coronial inquest was likely.

Cousins saw Mainwaring twice the day before he died and would be likely to be called before any coronial inquest, along with other past and present Eagles players.

West Coast, which earlier this year admitted there was a drug problem at the club after a number of publicised incidents, has said it would fully co-operate and had nothing to hide.

Cousins did not go to Friday night's West Coast best-and-fairest dinner, where one award was named after Mainwaring. His No. 3 jumper was retired for three years.

AAP