Shaun Tomson

Shaun Tomson born on August 21, 1955 in Durban, South Africa is a former professional surfer, environmentalist, actor, and businessman. He learned to surf in the beachbreaks in and around Durban under the watchful eye of his father Ernie, and alongside older cousin Michael Tomson. The Tomson boys went on to dominate amateur surfing competition in South Africa and began venturing over to Hawaii in the late 60's to ride and learn about the huge and powerful surf there. It was on one of these trips that an awestruck 14 year old Tomson eyewitnessed the so-called "Biggest Wave Ever Ridden" by Californian Greg Noll at Makaha in 1969. Hawaii's surf proved to be a daunting challenge for the youngsters, but they continued to mature and train in South Africa's hollow waves, such as Cave Rock, the Bay Of Plenty, Green Point, and Jeffrey's Bay.

In 1975, Shaun and Michael were an integral part of the "Free Ride" generation. They, along with Australians Rabbit Bartholomew, Mark Richards, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, Mark Warren, and others rode the infamous waves along Oahu's legendary North Shore with a style, aggression, and raw courage unseen prior to their arrival. Collectively, these surfers changed the face of surfing and were the first to really apply themselves as serious professional surfers. With his good looks, eloquence, and undeniable athleticism, Tomson served by default as the face and voice of this movement, and he is still viewed as the prototype blueprint for today's pro surfer, with legions of fans throughout the world. Tomson won the highly coveted IPS World Championship in 1977.

On a performance level, Tomson completely changed the way the tube of the wave was ridden, using a completely unique style of pumping and weaving through and around collapsing sections of the barrel. Even today, his electrifying performances at Off The Wall and Backdoor Pipeline stand the test of time. A very underrated aspect of Tomson's inventiveness was his in the tube punch throughs where he escaped unscathed from hideous closeout sections over a shallow reef.

Tomson currently lives with wife Carla in Montecito, CA and is very active as a member and spokesman with the The Surfrider Foundation. He is also involved with his family clothing venture, Solitude. JC Penney recently signed on as distributor for Solitude Clothing in the US.

Tragically, the Tomsons' son Mathew died on April 24th, 2006 in Durban, South Africa from an accidental death caused by playing the "choking game." With the support of family, friends, and the global surfing community, the Tomsons continue to push on with life, business, and environmental interests. Tomson recently co-produced a full length feature film about the benchmark mid-70's surfing era called, "Bustin' Down The Door" which premiered in early 2008.

Surfer's Code

Shaun Tomson has given lectures on his Surfer's Code, and has passed out small plastic cards with this code printed on one side and an endorsement for his clothing line on the other.

The code is as follows:

"I will never turn my back on the ocean"

"I will always paddle back out"

"I will take the drop with commitment"

"I will know that there will always be another wave"

"I will realize that all surfers are joined by one ocean"

"I will paddle around the impact zone"

"I will never fight a rip tide"

"I will watch out for other surfers after a big set"

"I will pass on my stoke to a non-surfer"

"I will ride, and not paddle in to shore"

"I will catch a wave every day, even in my mind"

"I will honor the sport of kings"

ee also

* Mark Richards
* Ian Cairns
* Bustin' Down The Door

External links

* [http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/tomson_shaun.cfm Surfline.com biography]
* [http://www.surfhistory.com/html/profiles/tomson.html Surfhistory.com biography]
* [http://www.surfrider.org/ Surfrider Foundation]
* [http://www.24.com/entertainment/movies/?p=Features_Article&i=972585 Shaun Tomson on Channel24]
* [http://www.learnfrommylife.com/ShaunTomson.html learnfrommylife feature]