Name: Shaun Tomson
Birthday: August 21, 1955
Birthplace: Durban South Africa
Sport: Surfing
Style: Goofyfoot
Favorite Beach: Jeffrey’s Bay
Just a Gentleman
70s Shaun
Shaun Tomson was not your average surfer. He was a World Champion surfer in the 1970s, but he didn’t fit the Hippy-Stereotype of the surfers of that era… he was a professional clean-cut, well-spoken gentleman with elegance and grace. He would win many competitions, but it was his style and character that would become most famous amongst other surfers. Now he is a legend of the surfing culture.
Younger Years
60s Shaun
Shaun grew up in Durban, South Africa surfing the perfect waves of Jeffrey’s Bay. He started on a longboard at the age of 10 years old, but Shaun would be one of the first few short boarders to revolutionize surfing. By the end of the 1960s, Shaun won the South African Boy’s Title and by the time of his Bar Mitzvah he was traveling to Hawaii to surf the biggest known waves of the World.
Testing The Tubes
Hovering Hawaii
Shaun became famous for his tube riding. Surfing deep into the barrels of the waves was very immature in the 1970s, so Shaun was one of the first dare-devils to see how deep a surfer could get into the tubes. Bill Delaney captured Shaun’s early days of exploring the tubes of Hawaii in a film called “Free Ride”.
Surfer’s Code
Bible of Surfing
Shaun’s accomplishments range from World Champion to Building surfboards and getting involved with the environment. Shaun’s most proud work is writing “Surfer’s Code", a book that illustrates the culture of surfing. If you want to know the rules of the Ocean and surfing culture, this is the perfect book to read. Here are some points that Shaun teaches:
- Never turn your back on the Ocean
- There will always be another wave
- All surfers are joined by one Ocean
- Paddle Around the Impact Zone, and never Fight a Rip Tide
- Watch out for other surfers after a big set
- Always ride, never paddle into shore
- Catch a wave every day, even in your mind
- Honor the bodyboarders…
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