In The Surfer’s Code, 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 Tomson, 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.
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.
I will never turn my back on the ocean
I will paddle around the impact zone
I will take the drop with commitment
I will never fight a rip tide
I will watch out for other surfers
There will always be another wave
I will always ride into shore
I will honor the sport of kings
I will pass along my stroke
I will catch a wave every day
All surfers are connected by one ocean
In a new epilogue, Tomson tells about light as a symbol of hope—through his very personal experiences of a wipeout, the loss of one precious son, and the arrival of another son.
Shaun Tomson was 1977 World Champion on the International Professional Surfing Tour. A native of South Africa, he spent fourteen years on the World Tour (1976–1989). He has been featured in more than forty surf videos and starred in the surf movie In God’s Hands. He was listed as one of the twenty-five most influential surfers of the century (Surfer, 1999) and one of
the sixteen greatest surfers of all time (Surfing, 2004). He is currently Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Surfrider Foundation and owns his own apparel company, Solitude, in Santa Barbara, California.
Patrick Moser, PhD, has written articles on surfing that have appeared in Surfer, Surf Life for Women, and the Surfer’s Journal. He currently teaches at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where he is Chair of the Department of Languages and teaches a course on the history and culture of surfing.
Powerful lessons for surfing, business, and life from world champion surfer Shaun Tomson.
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Table of Contents:
Introduction vii
Lesson 1 – I Will Never Turn My Back On The Ocean 1
Lesson 2 – I Will Paddle Around The Impact Zone 15
Lesson 3 – I Will Take The Drop With Commitment 25
Lesson 4 – I Will Never Fight A Rip Tide 37
Lesson 5 – I Will Always Paddle Back Out 51
Lesson 6 – I Will Watch Out For Other Surfers 65
Lesson 7 – There Will Always Be Another Wave 75
Lesson 8 – I Will Always Ride Into Shore 87
Lesson 9 – I Will Pass Along My Stoke 97
Lesson 10 – I Will Catch A Wave Every Day 107
Lesson 11 – All Surfers Are Joined By One Ocean 119
Lesson 12 – I Will Honor The Sport Of Kings 131
Epilogue 143
Afterword – The Light Shines Ahead 147
Acknowledgments 161
Author Biographies 162








