Shaun Tomson is a native of South Africa and he spent fourteen years on the Professional Tour, winning surfing competitions all over the world whilst developing international apparel brands.
He is a business finance graduate from the University of Natal in South Africa and is the founder of Instinct and Solitude Sportswear, multi-million dollar international apparel ventures.
Surfer Magazine ranked Shaun Tomson in the top ten of its “50 Greatest Surfers of All Time,” as chosen by an elite list of voters made up of pro surfers, photographers, filmmakers, journalists, captains of the industry, and the living legends themselves.
He is the founder of Solitude Sportswear, a multi-million dollar international apparel company.
He is Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Surfrider Foundation, the world’s largest surfing environmental group, and the author of the best selling book Surfer’s Code as well as the companion book to his documentary film Bustin’ Down The Door.
In addition, Shaun Tomson is currently producing a series of motivational sports films.
Shaun Tomson has spoken at schools, universities, business organizations, law firms, environmental groups, retailers, sports clubs and veterans organizations.
Shaun diverges from the standard sports metaphor of personal success being solely tied to winning.
Like surfing a wave, a successful and enriching ride through life is not about crossing a finishing line first; it is all about maintaining a positive, balanced attitude and extending the limits of one’s own personal standards.
In addition to his “50 Greatest Surfers of All Time” ranking, Shaun Tomson was listed as one of the “25 Most Influential Surfers of the Century” (Surfer 1999), one of the “16 Greatest Surfers of All Time” (Surfing 2004) and the “Greatest Tube Rider of All Time” (Surfing Life 1993).
Additional honors include nine appearances on the cover of Surfing and Surfer magazines, an inductee on the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame (1997), the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1998), the South African Sports Hall of Fame (1977) and the SIMA “Environmentalist of the Year Award” (2002).
What is most important to Shaun Tomson is giving back to the community; sharing the lessons he has learned about life.
“Surfing has made me a better person. It is a transformative experience and an inspiring ride through life that reveals fundamental lessons on how to stay balanced, overcome challenges and adapt to an ever-changing world.“
While the lessons Shaun shares are taken from the world’s oceans, they translate powerfully to everyday life and extraordinary challenges.
They reflect the attitude and outlook necessary to not just survive the ups and downs of life, but to master them and emerge a winner.
Shaun Tomson lives with his wife Carla in Montecito, California.
In Surfer’s Code: 12 Simple Lessons for Riding Through Life, world champion surfer Shaun Tomson shares the life lessons he’s gathered from decades of surfing-from his boyhood adventures in South Africa to the world tour in the late 1970s to the business world today.
For Shaun Tomson – Surfing Champion Entrepreneur surfing is a hobby, a sport, a religion, an obsession and more-it is a way of life. Tomson’s life lessons have guided his career to the top of both professional competition and the world of business.
Now, he shares these powerful lessons, born on the world’s best swells, with all people-including those who might never step on a surfboard.
These lessons are born of the collective wisdom of the surf community and are a powerful source of inspiration in the face of extraordinary challenges of everyday life.
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