Shaun Tomson (born 21 August 1955) is a South African and American[1] professional surfer[2] and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author, and businessman.

[18][19] Tomson went on to dominate amateur surfing competition in South Africa and began venturing over to Hawaii in the late 1960s, courtesy of a bar mitzvah present from his father.

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.

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.

[12] He is currently an inspirational speaker for some of the world's largest companies and talks about the influence of positive values on success in life and business based on his own experiences of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, in and out of the surf.

An attitude of Commitment and Positivity is the basis for Tomson's empowering business philosophy based on his "Surfer's Code – 12 Simple Lessons for Riding through Life".

He has spoken internationally and inspired and touched the hearts of audiences as large as 3,000 people, has shared the stage with well-known personalities, including Sir Richard Branson and Malcolm Gladwell, and inspired corporations such as General Motors, Cisco, Price Waterhouse, Toys R Us, Sasol, Disney, Google, Primedia, MTN and Adcock Ingram.

[4][28] He also authored Bustin' Down the Door – Revolution of '75, a companion to the film of the same name and Krazy Kreatures – Under my Surfboard!, a collection of illustrated rhymes for children.

[31][32][33] The Tomsons' son Mathew died at 15 years of age on 24 April 2006 in Durban, South Africa, from an accidental death caused by playing the "choking game.

"[34][35]In his autobiography, published in 2022, Tomson wrote about reconnecting with his Jewish faith in the wake of the tragedy of his son's death and returning to Temple David.

I am a Jew...”[9] Tomson travelled to Israel at the invitation of Omer Levy of Shabbat Surf Club, where he participated in a memorial paddle for the twenty-six surfers killed in the terrorist attacks.

Tomson also co-produced an award-winning full-length feature film about the benchmark mid-1970s surfing era called Bustin' Down the Door, which premiered in early 2008.