Coming in in 9th place in our recent 100 Greatest Surfers of all Time feature, South African former world champion Shaun Tomson is undoubtedly one of history’s best surfers ever. A tube riding great who was there in Hawaii in 1975 “bustin-down-the-doors” with the likes of Rabbit et al.

But the Durban-raised surf champ’s story doesn’t stop there. In 2006, Shaun Tompson lost his 15-year-old son in a tragic accident, a school prank gone horribly wrong. As part of the healing process and looking to make a difference in young persons lives, Tompson has turned to working as a motivational speaker around his home in Santa Barbara, California, in the hope of encouraging the youth of today to make positive choices. Here Huck Magazine recently interviewed him to find out more about his new inspirational career path, including the book project he released in 2011 ‘Surfer’s Code – The Power of “I Will“‘, in which Tompson shares the life lessons he’s gathered from decades of surfing.